Mistakes We Knew We Were Making
by TheLadyErin
Summary: Couples: Elena/Elijah, Caroline/Klaus Characters: Rebekah, Kol, Anna, Jeremy, Tyler.. ensemble..ish "They were Vikings, Elena. Conquering is what they did." Summary inside...
1. Prologue

**Mistakes We Knew We Were Making**

Couples: **Elena/Elijah, Caroline/Klaus **

Characters: **Rebekah, Kol, Anna, Jeremy, Tyler**, Bonnie, Alaric, Damon and Stefan

Umm…you know, ensemble and stuff

"_They were Vikings, Elena. Conquering is what they did." _

**Elijah:**

Elena sent Jeremy to Denver in order to keep him safe from the Originals. Concerned that Klaus would use Jeremy as a pawn, Elijah takes off after him and soon begins teaching him ways to protect himself from vampires and possibly even kill Klaus. However, Jeremy returns home after Anna mysteriously turns up in Mystic Falls, very much alive. When Elijah returns with Jeremy, Elena is faced with a vampire she must trust in order to protect her family. But how can she trust a vampire who periodically turns on her to save his own kin?

**Klaus:**

When Caroline realizes that the only way to keep her mother and loved ones safe from Klaus is to give into his romantic inclinations, she feels this is a sacrifice she must make- but not one to play the victim, Caroline fights to turn the situation into her favor by using her time with him to gain his trust and find a weakness she can exploit. However, the closer she gets, the more Klaus seems to change and the more she wonders if she can truly go through with a plan to kill him.

**Rebekah and Kol:**

The bickering siblings have two common goals: A loved one they want to bring back and surviving an onslaught of enemies that include their own family members. With the threat of Klaus, Esther and the Salvatore brothers looming in the background, the two must get along enough to ensure their continued existence. But soon Rebekah becomes worried for her brother's sanity and is worried that he too will end up like Klaus. Her only hope is Anna, who holds the key to Kol's stability, but will the born-again vampire be more harmful than helpful?

But when Esther returns, threatening all of their existences, will these three factions be able to work together, or will betrayal lead them all into extinction?

**Author's Note**: I love Elijah/Elena, I love Klaus/Caroline and I love the Original's complicated relationship with one another. This is what came of it. Starts after 3X18

**Prologue: A Little Too Human**

Jeremy Gilbert's favorite weapon was the crossbow. Elijah noted how gifted he was with it-how precise his aim, how quickly he could reload and how when he hit a target he smiled with pride. Jeremy Gilbert was a natural, which possibly stemmed from his vampire hunting ancestry or maybe just the sheer hatred stemming from what Klaus had done to his life. At the moment Jeremy was perched on the roof about 3 houses over and waiting for Elijah to walk past. The street was empty, as time worked its way toward morning, and the suburban neighborhood was unaware of the predator that lurked its streets. The cloak of darkness was supposed to make it harder for Jeremy to hit Elijah with the arrow, but Elijah had his suspicions that Jeremy was going to do just fine.

So far the training had been wonderful and Elijah was surprised at how renewed he felt spending time with the Elena's younger brother. The youth had a fresh outlook on the world; and even after suffering as much as he had, Jeremy still had hope. It helped that he wasn't stubborn to the point of absurdity, quite like vampires tended to be after living for so long. Age often gave way to intractability, because vampires began to feel as though they had lived long enough to be incredibly wise, forgetting that vampirism also went hand in hand with heightened emotion. Even those that felt that they had shut off their emotions were really just living in a state of hedonism. The feelings were still there, the shame and pain was just gone. That made them no wiser than it did when misery was eating them alive.

Oddly enough, this made vampires very like the average young human that they often looked like. However, Jeremy was anything but average. At one point he had been, Elijah could still see the remnants of the behavior from time to time, but that behavior was mostly gone now. What really set him apart was that Jeremy loved knowledge. He enjoyed _knowing_ things, sometimes just for the sake of knowing them. That already put him a step ahead of Klaus, Rebekah and Finn. In fact, it reminded Elijah a lot of himself as a young man. There had been a time when he was human that Elijah's greatest love was questioning things and trying to find answers to those questions. It was a passion that remained with him throughout his eternity and earned him a great deal of information. So, much to his surprise and pleasure, Elijah's goal to keep Elena's brother alive was actually quite pleasant and he found himself enjoying the company, as well as assuaging some of the guilt he had for all of the atrocities that he had helped bring into her life. That was, after all, why he had found Jeremy in the first place. After leaving Elena, Elijah had gone directly to look for Jeremy. Elijah knew how much Jeremy meant to her, and he knew that Elena would not let him help her again out of lack of trust. Jeremy would allow him to help because he wanted what Elijah could give him: autonomy. Using Elijah's skill, Jeremy could learn to protect himself while also learning to provide for himself. Elijah taught him the basic skills that a father would teacher a son- He taught him how to balance a checkbook, how to change a tire, and how to do other tasks by himself. Most importantly though, Elijah taught Jeremy how to disguise the sound of an arrow zipping through the air using naturally occurring sounds, how to hide from the keen senses of the vampire and how to fight back as best as a human can. This was all Elijah could do to try and make things up to Elena.

Thinking of her hurt him, and so he tried not to do it often but sometimes it was impossible. At the moment, as he started walking down the street, his mind was fixated on her. The dark eyes full of compassion, of pain, and of love were permanently etched into his mind. They had been the eyes of Tatia and of Katherine, but she wore then differently than either woman had before her. But then she was different than both women, wasn't she? It was strange how three women could have the same face but such different personalities. Stranger still, that he felt something for each of them, but each feeling was completely unique to that woman and it lacked the confusion one might think would mire his mind.

These were the thoughts that left Elijah distracted enough to actually stagger when the arrow came through his shoulder. A few minutes before he had been expecting it, but the thought of Elena and those haunting eyes took his mind elsewhere and he almost fell into the bushes. He composed himself quickly, cast a glance around, and saw the car speeding away. It had masked the sound of the arrow, but it hadn't been necessary for he had been paying such little attention that he had not even noticed the car driving past. Elijah smiled to himself, feeling pride at Jeremy's adept shooting skills and chose to ignore his own vulnerability. He ripped the arrow from his shoulder, which caused a shot of sharp, agonizing pain through him. His face kept its neutral mask, as he was used to wounds, and he started towards the area where he would be meeting Jeremy to give him the proper accolades for his good work. The boy had even managed to make sure there was no one around to see the shot transpire, so Elijah didn't even have to compel anyone to forget.

Elijah reached the spot in the park long before Jeremy arrived. Smilingly, he set the arrow down on the bottom of the slide, then reached beneath it and pulled out an untouched plastic bag. He emptied the contents, which was a brand new, top-of-the-line sketchbook with a black leather cover with Jeremy's name in silver letters at the bottom right hand cover. It even had a lock keeping it shut. Sure, it was a flimsy lock that even a five-year-old could have broken, but the sentiment behind it was real. Elijah knew how important it was for a boy to have his privacy and he wanted Jeremy to know that he hadn't and wouldn't invade his. The idea for this present came shortly after Jeremy's sketchbook had gone missing a week before, when Kol was in town watching Jeremy on behalf of Klaus. At that time, Elijah had kept to the shadows, not wanting any of his family to know where he was or what he was doing. Elijah felt it best they be surprised by the weapon he was grooming.

It was a few moments before Jeremy arrived, looking triumphant. The crossbow was strapped to his back, covered by a bag so it looked like he was a hitchhiker and not a vampire hunter. His dark hair was messy, tossed and turned by the wind so that it was going every which way. His skin was flushed with excitement and his dark eyes sparkling. _Good_, Elijah thought with conviction, _he needs to enjoy this. _"Well done!" Elijah said loudly as Jeremy approached. "I didn't even hear the shot."

Jeremy shot him a lopsided grin, his hands were in the pockets of his black slacks, which almost served as body armor with their thickness. The shirt was made from the same material. Hunters often wore it so that if they fell out of a tree when hunting, the branches and brush wouldn't cut through to their skin. Mountain climbers were also a fan of it. Elijah had ordered it for Jeremy because he thought it would serve as some protection and even a little was better than none. "Thanks. I was nervous that there wouldn't be a sound to cover the arrow, but that car came right in the nick of time."

The park was quiet around them and Elijah knew that they were completely alone and could speak freely. Kol had vanished a few days earlier, much to Elijah's relief. He assumed that he was no longer linked to the other Originals in his family and that was why his brother had vanished. Out of all of the Originals, Kol had the least loyalty to the family, even Klaus was second to Kol in that department. Elijah nodded and then outstretched his arms, hands holding the book he had procured for him. "A present."

Jeremy took it, looking at first to the book, then to him with a smile and a brightness in his eyes that made him look even younger than his sixteen years. "Wow. This is nice." He ran a finger over the cover, then traced his name lightly with his forefinger. "What did you do this for?"

Elijah smiled wanly, "for a job well done, of course. All of your hard work has been paying off, Jeremy."

"I don't have anything for you though, and really, you're the one helping me."

Elijah's smile grew, "that shot was present enough." He joked, motioning to the hole in his jacket. He picked up the arrow from the slide and handed it to Jeremy, "and here is your prize."

Jeremy took it and examined the homemade arrow carefully, then he looked up at Elijah and smiled. "We're really going to do this, aren't we? We're really going to kill Klaus."

And in the end, that was their mission. Elijah was silent for a moment, contemplating the young vampire hunter thoughtfully. Once Klaus was dead, Elena could have her family back and his shameful behavior would, in some ways, be atoned for. He would walk away from Mystic Falls alone and live out his eternity in a way that even his mother might one day be proud of. Perhaps he would convince Rebekah to join him, maybe Finn too…

For some reason, this thought made Elijah feel hollow. Was it this new attachment to Jeremy, or something else?

Finally he answered, "yes. We're going to kill Klaus."

**XXX**

Her blonde hair fell in ringlets over the pillow as she slept, completely unaware of his presence. Klaus watched her contentedly from his seat on the window. He was old, so very old and had always felt that he had witnessed the most beautiful things that this world had to offer. Then something would come along and remind him that there was yet more beauty for him to enjoy.

He had met Caroline Forbes.

She was breathtaking to look at, yes, but it was more than that. She was stronger, livelier, better than almost anyone he had come in contact with before. She possessed an air to her that would have made most queens he had met green with envy. Her presence was commanding and authoritative. Had this been another time, another place, she would command armies of loyal knights ready to die in her honor. Even now; bare of makeup, hair messy, unkept and spread over the pillow; her beauty was unmatched.

It really was too bad that she was constantly conspiring with the Salvatore brothers to kill him. That really put a damper on what they could have had.

Niklaus sighed heavily, crossing the room in one swift move and sitting next to her on the bed, waiting for her to rise and greet him. Instead she turned over in her bed, vulnerable and unaware. Why did she feel so safe in this house of hers? This home he was invited into and could come and kill her at any time? Did she know how much she meant to him and that is what gave her such sound sleep? He contemplated this for longer then he should have, fingers brushing over the air just above the contours of her lips, not touching but only by a few centimeters. _She is all that is beautiful- but then all the deadliest things are. _Klaus sighed heavily, drinking in beauty that he would soon be starved for and would live only in memory. He couldn't help but think of everything that could have been, that if Caroline had realized her true merit, all the potential she possessed, and how blissful it would be if they were together that maybe they would not be in this predicament. Sadly, that was not the reality and he was faced with a very difficult choice, but it was not the first he ever had to make.

"_Love is a vampire's greatest weakness, and we are not weak, Elijah. We do not feel, and we do not care."_

The words to his brother haunted him, for he had never thought he would be the one who needed reminding of this aspect of their lives. In the end it was survival. Yet here he was, besotted with a teenage vampire and beside himself with thoughts of all they could be together.

It was best to end this now- to extinguish this spark of humanity inside of himself before it became an inferno that could not be repressed. He had hardened himself to this idea when he burned the drawings he had done of her. Now it was time to follow through.

Finally she stirred, her beautiful eyes fluttering open and meeting his. He was probably a little hazy to her from the sleep, so he waited as she sat up in her bed with a start, backing away from him fear. She was right to be afraid. "What do you want?" She asked haltingly but without a tremor in the words. He was a little proud that she was trying to hide her fear, it was that very bravado of hers that increased her beauty tenfold.

"You." He responded in spite of himself, "I thought I made that clear." She was shaking her head and opened her mouth to speak, but he continued. "But since you seem to want nothing to do with me outside of causing my demise, I suppose your death will be my consolation prize."

She shot up, crossing the room before he could catch her and rip the heart from her chest.

"This is what you think love is?" She asked from the window where he entered from, perched and ready to jump out of it. "If someone doesn't return it, then you kill them?" He wasn't quite sure what to say to that, since she was obviously disgusted by the mentality he subscribed to without reservation. "I hope you never wonder why you're alone." She spat angrily, "because I think we just isolated the cause of it." Then she lunged out the window and when he followed her, found that he was too late. She was gone.

Angry, at both his hesitation and at her words, he stalked through the upstairs of her home, knocking over the stand in the hallway sending its picture frames and flower vase crashing to the ground. He broke down the door to her mother's room, expecting to find a frightened woman cowering but instead found an open window and a vacant bedroom. "Sod it all." He slammed his fist into the wall, the material collapsing under his strength and leaving a gaping hole behind him as he quickly exited the building through the window.

**XXX**

Rebekah was more than a little frustrated and annoyed at her brother.

"How exactly is this my fault again, Kol?" She asked waspishly as they raked through the woods for the fourth time that night. "You said that she would welcome you back with open arms, remember? Oh Rebekah,'" she mimicked his voice and inflections easily, "it musn't be you she sees first, it must be me. You might frighten her.' Yet, here we are, combing the woods for a vampire that _your face terrified_. Good show."

Kol, dressed impeccably in a pair of designer jeans and a buttoned down navy blue shirt, rolled his eyes, then in a second was up a tree then back down it again with lightning speed. "Something must have gone wrong. Ayanna must have messed up the spell in the first place."

"Hm. Maybe she messed it up because you were threatening to kill her children if she didn't do what you wanted her to do." Rebekah muttered in a know-it-all voice. "Besides, a spell like _that_? Can't be easy, even for the late, great Ayanna." The name was said with slight disdain, for Ayanna had been partly to blame for the hatred that Esther would have for her children, or rather, that was who Rebekah found herself blaming anyway. It had to be the witch, she was the one who didn't want their mother to do the spell to turn them in the first place. "I'm sure if you had asked her nicely, she would have done it. Everyone knows that you would have turned out just like Klaus- even worse- if it hadn't been for her."

"Shut up, Rebekah." Kol replied tartly, "I'd rather be Klaus than you any day. He might be starved for love but at least he still has his pride."

In a flash Rebekah was on top of him, her hand holding his body down by his throat, legs positioned on either side of his torso and her left hand positioned over his face, fingers ready to jab out his eyes. She couldn't kill him, but pain was definitely in order for the spoiled little brat. "What was that about pride, brother?" She asked, tone flavored with acid, "perhaps you ought to watch your tongue."

He grinned, "you always were the most fun, weren't you, Bek?"

She rolled off him, stood up and brushed the dirt off of her red dress. Red always had been her color, even when the dyes were incredibly expensive. She appreciated the ease at which she could purchase her trademark color now. "Get up, let's keep looking for her before even more problems of your making arise."

Kol stood up and smiled at Rebekah, "We'll find her, you know."

"We better."

The two siblings stared at each other and Rebekah wondered if Kol realized that out of all of the siblings, they really had the most in common. It was a thought that often occurred to her when she contemplated their family and at the moment it was glaringly obvious.

They had gone to Ayanna together a thousand years before, begging the witch to make the spell that was going terribly awry for them now.

"_Please, please do this." _Rebekah had begged in Ayanna's own tongue, _"she is like a daughter to you, is she not? Do you not want to keep her safe from Klaus? He means to kill her." _

Rebekah had thought her pleas would work, but Kol had become impatient. He began threatening Ayanna's daughters and anything else that would get him his way. Finally, Ayanna had agreed to a spell, saying that the only reason she would do it was to keep Kol from turning into the monster she foresaw Niklaus becoming.

Rebekah had been relieved beyond measure at the news, but not nearly as happy as Kol. When she looked at her brother right then, she could see the worry etched into his features. "We'll find her." She reassured him, just as she had done when they were children, "don't worry."

Then he surprised her, he looked back and said quietly, sounding so human that it took her off guard. "Thank you."

**XXX**

Bonnie handed Alaric the bottle of herbs and watched as he washed it down his throat, expression of disgust unconcealed. She truly felt sorry for him and his predicament and hoped that this new concoction, as well as the cleansing spell, would do a better job of keeping the monster inside him at bay.

He smiled ruefully at her, then grabbed for the glass of water he was going to use to cleanse his palette. When he finished it, he sighed heavily, "I still think you should have Damon or Stefan here to help protect you."

She didn't want to tell him that she would rather die than be in their presence, or that vampires as a whole sickened her at this point, and so instead she just gave her head a little shake. "I'm more powerful than they are," she replied, 'I can easily stop you more quickly than they could."

"Right." He nodded, "magic."

It wasn't boasting. To be completely honest, she had been honing her powers against vampires specifically. Not just vampires like Damon, but the Originals too. It was time for them to have a weapon to use. Stopping Alaric was child's play at this point. "How are you feeling?"

He shook his head in answer and she knew that the potion must be taking its toll. In large doses some of the ingredients were poison to a human and so it was undoubtedly making Alaric feel sick. "I'll get Elena, we'll put you to bed then."

Bonnie took another long look at Alaric, his skin pale and gray, his t-shirt and sweatpants rumpled, before walking into the kitchen where Elena and Jaime were cleaning up from their midnight dinner. They had eaten late because the spell had to take place after dining. The food had all been specially prepared to cleanse Ric physically.

Bonnie's best friend turned around as she walked in, the dishes forgotten immediately. Her long, dark hair was pulled up into a messy bun and she wore the pink and black pajamas that she donned for her sweet-sixteen slumber party. That had been a time when things were so much less complicated and Bonnie didn't feel quite so…empty and broken. The reminder did not lift Bonnie's mood and so she said glumly, "we should get Alaric up to bed."

"Okay." She responded, "Bon, you okay?

Bonnie nodded, "yeah, sure."

"I can help Elena get Alaric into bed." Jamie offered. His lips formed into a polite but meager smile; he felt the loss of Abby acutely and rarely broke into the full grin that transformed his handsome features into gorgeous ones anymore. Bonnie understood that, she felt there was little to smile about herself.

"Thanks."

Elena looked to both of them sorrowfully. There was always compassion from Elena, always forgiveness, always hope. Bonnie sometimes struggled to understand how Elena's moral compass functioned. How could she provide support for vampires like Damon who killed for _fun_, _or _even Stefan whose morality was tenuous at best, and yet still think another creature was evil. Yet she did, and Bonnie found herself being dragged into those muddied waters as well.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Bonnie stiffened at the sound, afraid of who might be at the door. So far the only vampire invited inside was Caroline, which eased her a bit. However, she better than anyone knew that there were people outside of these walls that could be harmed in order to get an invitation inside. She quietly snuck to the window, glancing towards the porch so she could see who was standing at her door.

Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of Caroline and the sheriff, Bonnie opened the door and let them in. "Oh good- I thought maybe you would all be asleep." Caroline said passionately and walked inside with her mother in tow. "We can't stay at my house anymore, Klaus showed up. He tried to rip my heart out."

Bonnie stared at the two, not even feeling shocked anymore. "We have to do something to protect people." She finally said, "we have to stop this."

Caroline nodded, then looked up as Elena descended the steps alone. "Klaus tried to rip my heart out tonight." She repeated, catching Elena up to speed. Bonnie watched as Elena's concerned expression turned into one of fear.

The three friends stood in a circle, looking at each other, at a loss on how they could keep everyone safe.

**XXX**

Tyler lay the limp body on the ground of his "cell," the place his mother had referred to as 'the old slave quarters' but where, Tyler deduced, wolves held themselves when they changed. It was the place that he had first changed, when Caroline had stayed by his side, where she had risked her own life so that he would not have to be alone.

He paced the cell lengthwise and looked down in disbelief at the body there. He had seen her running through the woods, looking frantically behind her, so that when he came at her from the front, she collided into him. He wasn't quite sure what to do or say- completely taken aback by who she was, not to mention her nudity. He didn't have a chance to speak anyway, she collapsed and he brought her here instinctively.

It couldn't be her though, it couldn't be Anna.

Because she was dead. She died in the same building that his father had died in. Jeremy had told him that, he had explained everything.

But it was the very same face that he had seen in the Grille.

He covered her nude body with another blanket and sat down next to her. She didn't look good. Blue veins threaded her skin, her lips were pale and blue as well. He reached into the cooler beside him and pulled out a bag full of blood that he had stolen from a hospital a few towns over. He had been trying to keep his supply up so he could remain powerful, but he didn't want to take too much from one hospital and cause a blood shortage. He ripped open the bag and put it to her lips, urging them to part and take in the fluid.

This was probably a bad idea and Tyler knew that, but something inside him was telling him to do it, that this was something that was necessary.

It worked, much to his amazement. Her lips parted and she started sucking down the liquid. He held it there steadily and let her empty out the contents. As it ended, her eyes fluttered open and he noted the dazed expression on her face. She started to sit up and the blanket fell as she did, but she was not at all bothered by the naked flesh of her breasts being exposed. "Who…"

"I'm Tyler," he answered without letting her finish the question, "remember? We met at the Grille."

She blinked a few times, her tongue darting over her lips. "Who…am I?"


	2. Chapter 1

Thanks for the responses, I wasn't sure anyone would like my brand of drama.

_Sweetwater Gal__, thanks! I appreciate such high praise! You're very kind. I love E&E too, and had been trying to find a way to write them into a fic in a believable way. Hopefully this works!  
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_lilylulurose__ : thank you! I love E&E, and thought that Jeremy could use an Elijah in his life! I will try and update as much as possible!  
><em>

So this chapter is kind of long. Sorry

**Chapter One: Sacrificial Lamb**

Caroline sat at the kitchen table, contemplating her final decision. It had been a few days since Klaus had infiltrated her home and prepared to rip her heart out. She and her friends had found no course of action, because it seemed that Klaus had all of the power. She wondered how long her friends could stay holed up in this house in the woods.

In truth, she didn't really need to think about anything, her mind was already made up. The fact of the matter was that she was just stalling for time. This would be the last day that she tasted freedom, it was possibly the last day that she would be alive. Well, as alive as a vampire was anyway. There was only one solution to save her mother's life, to possibly keep Bonnie, Elena and Tyler safe. How strange it was for her to be contemplating the sacrifice, was this not the role that Elena usually played? It was Elena who had given herself up to Klaus so that he would not kill her family, like he had done to Katherine. This really wasn't her style at all.

A sound from the sitting room caught Caroline's attention and she got up from her spot to see what the ruckus was. Upon opening the door she saw Bonnie, glass shattered around her. "What's going on?" Caroline asked; her friend had been acting strangely for the last couple of days and Caroline was starting to get worried. Her mother's departure compounded with the fact that they were not any closer to killing Klaus, seemed to be really getting to her. Caroline had not told her of the decision that she had made, afraid that her friends would stop her. Of course they would. What she was going to do was on the verge of a suicide attempt, they would be terrible friends not to stop her. Bonnie and Elena were anything but terrible friends and so she kept her idea to herself. "Bonnie?"

"I was trying to spell," the words felt like a lie, "I thought maybe I could concoct something to stop Klaus. It turns out, that my ancestors had no solution either. I guess they thought the tree would do it."

"Bonnie? What is really going on?"

She sighed heavily, then, in a tremulous voice that broke Caroline's heart she said, "we're all just going to get killed off. All of us."

She reached over and took Bonnie's hand in her own. "No. We aren't. We will find a way to stop him."

Bonnie swallowed loudly and nodded, though her expression did not hold any conviction. She knelt down and started picking up the pieces of the shattered bottled, setting each of the shards in bowl next to her. "I wish Abby was still here, So we could find out how she kept Mikael in that coffin. If we knew how to do that, we could do the same thing to Klaus." Bonnie muttered, as the glass made clinking sounds when it hit the bottom of the bowl and the other pieces of glass. When Bonnie looked up at Caroline, her dark hair framing her face, thick dark lashes around large almond colored eyes, she was struck by just how witchy Bonnie looked. Funny how she never noticed this before.

"What if we found Abby?" Caroline mused to herself, then realizing the brilliance behind this thought she repeated it. "We should find Abby."

"And how would we do that?" Bonnie inquired, an edge in her voice. Then she stopped, looked pensively at Caroline, then the window. "What if I went looking for her? Better yet, what if I take your mother with me. We can use her position as Sheriff and my magic to find her. Your mother would be safe then."

It was a brilliant plan. Caroline could not wait to put it into action, it however did not cancel her plans. In fact her actions would buy them time to accomplish their goal. "I could kiss you for your brilliance!"

"Has Tyler really been gone _that_ long?" Joked Bonnie. It was nice to see a genuine smile on her face, and it was even nicer to think that they now had a shot, a plan, something to give them hope.

**XXX**

Elena stared out the window of her bedroom, wishing that she had been able to go to sleep. She had taken a break from Ric duty in order to spend some time by herself and get her thoughts together. Stefan wanting to know whether she loved Damon was troubling her. While she cared for him, and to be honest was quite attracted to him, she wasn't sure if that equated love. It wasn't at all like she felt for Stefan and to be honest, how she felt for Stefan was even different now. She thought perhaps they have both changed, but as she sat with her diary in hand, having leafed through several pages, she realized that she was the one who changed. The thought made her incredibly sad.

The day was beautiful and the sun shone in the sky brightly, Elena wished that her mood matched it. That was impossible though, too much was going wrong too fast. They had learned that Klaus's death mean Stefan's, Damon's and Caroline's death as well. His death would certainly mean Tyler's, and she wasn't quite sure whether she could live with that. But she also wasn't sure whether she could live with all of the blood that would stain Klaus' his hands should he remain alive. It was all very confusing.

What made matters worse, was that she felt so incredibly alone. If she spoke to Damon, she felt guilty, like she was betraying Stefan and if she spoke to Stefan she felt the loss of what once was. It left her in a very precarious position and so she avoided both of them. When she talked to Bonnie, she felt the shame of people valuing her life more than Bonnie's mother's. Since Caroline was often with Bonnie, that left her off the list as well. Finally there was Alaric but considering he had so much on his plate, it hardly seemed fair for Elena to burden him with her problems.

This was no good, she was drowning in self-pity. Disgusted with herself, Elena put her diary underneath her bed and walked downstairs to make herself some food. She was not a good cook, but she was going to have to make do because her stomach was rumbling and really there was nothing left for her to do. At least there was no pressure here by herself and she felt a little lighter than she had at Bonnie's, where she was constantly reminded of what her life cost. _Could I even go back to a normal life_? Elena wondered this to herself as she pulled out a pot and filled it with water_. Would I even know how to function if things were calm? _She put the burner on and then searched the cabinet for some noodles. Spaghetti should be an easy thing to make, especially since she had Ragu sauce in the cabinet. As she watched the water come to a boil, she pondered how everything became such a mess. At the end of the day, she was the center piece of this disaster area, and she couldn't help but feel the guilt of it.

When the water came to a boil she poured the noodles in and thought to put a drop of oil in it as well, but was distracted by a knock at the door. She opened it without even thinking who might be on the other side.

To her shock, it was Elijah and he looked grim. "Jeremy is missing." He told her without even saying hello.

**XXX**

He should've killed her. Why did he hesitate? Why did he waste time with thought instead of just ripping her heart out? He knew, deep down, that if he had truly wanted her dead she would be. It's the human side of him, that part that he had tried to squash so many times and refused to be extinguished, that kept her alive. Caroline was a weakness and he could not afford a weakness. His enemies were mounting, family and former friend alike, all wanting him dead.

Caroline would've killed him if she had the chance, so why could he not return that favor? Even days later the question plagued him. She was still out there, she was still conspiring against him, and yet he still didn't want to see her gone.

More than anything, Klaus wished that he could talk to Elijah. His brother would understand, and his brother would have advice. It still ached to know that at the end of the day his family did not support him and never would. He had never felt more alone, and he knew that his hybrid army would be of little comfort to him.

Alone, Klaus lounged on the leather couch in the sitting room. There were enough places to sit for all of his brothers and for Rebecca. His plan had been for them to live together, as a family. How foolish of him to think they would forgive him; would he have even forgiven himself if their situations were reversed?

Maybe that was why he didn't kill Caroline. After all, why would Caroline show him any loyalty? He was her enemy, the vampire that was going to sacrifice her so that he could break the curse binding his werewolf side. He had almost killed her. He had killed someone she considered a friend. He was going to kill her best friend, in fact he had killed her and if it hadn't been for a spell, Elena would be dead.

In this moment of curious rationality, Klaus had the decency to feel guilty and he didn't like it one bit.

**XXX**

Visiting his mother, to let her know of his return, came with the surprise of being greeted by Rebekah, dressed to kill in a red transparent shirt over a black cami and black leggings. She gave him a nonchalant look, as though she had every right to be where she was; and he had no right to his place in the house at all.

Tyler suppressed the frown at seeing her in his home, knowing just how close death his mother was on a regular basis. "It's so nice of you to drop in," she told him in a tone that inferred just how pleasant it wasn't. "Did my brother send you to check on me?"

From this, Tyler decided that Rebekah and Klaus were on the outs. Excellent. The less allies _his sire_ had, the better off the rest of them were. "I haven't actually seen much of him."

Tyler sat across from her in the dining room and kept his gaze levelly on hers. "Did you need checking up on?"

She chuckled, then turned a little as a young man entered the room. He wore a black jacket over a loose white button down shirt and a pair of slacks that looked tailored to him. "Kol, have you met Tyler?"

"I don't believe I have." He said in an accent that seemed just slightly older of an accent than Rebekah's. "Is he your beau, sister?"

Sister? Tyler tried to keep his face neutral. So there was another Original out? Well…that wasn't exactly good news to him. He tried to keep his cool, mind wondering to the little vampire he had tucked away in the ruins. With so many Originals about, Tyler had to wonder if her resurrection had anything to do with them. Were they powerful enough to bring vampires back from the dead? And if so…what did they want from Jeremy's amnesiac ex?

There were a lot of questions and he only hoped that Jeremy would respond to his message and come home to help him sort the whole mess out.

"Hardly," she replied caustically. "He fancies Nikaus' new obsession, Caroline Forbes."

"Ah- of course." He smiled, which looked more like a bearing of teeth. Tyler himself had used that expression on more than one occasion. "Oh…_yes_. Now I recall hearing the name. You're the first of Niklaus' little pets, right? What is it they are called again, Bek?"

"Hybrids." She answered in a saccharine voice.

"Right. How does it feel to be a drone, Tyler?" Kol asked as he leaned against his sister's chair and tilted his head to the side. "Is it tiresome to always follow orders?"

Struggling to keep his temper in check, Tyler managed a wolfish smile back. "It has its bonuses." He had to play nice, his mother was in this house with them and he couldn't afford to anger them enough to hurt her. She was all the family he had left.

The siblings glanced at each other and he wanted nothing more than to wipe those disgusting smiles off of their faces. "Well," Rebekah said cheerfully, "I am sorry to say that your mother is out. We'd love to give her a message for you."

"No need. I'll be home shortly to tell her myself. It turns out that I'm moving back in." Tyler got up from the table, told them goodbye and then started out of the house before his fury took over.

Rebekah and Kol in _his_ house with his _mother_? Something had to be done, they had to be put in check and it had to be done fast.

But first….what the hell was he going to do with Anna? She was living in the damn ruins and he couldn't just let her stay there by herself. Sure, she was a vampire, but she had no memory of who she was and the last few days had consisted of him waiting for Jeremy and explaining to her that he would know what to do.

But…Tyler wasn't even sure Jeremy was going to come. He might have thought the whole thing was a trap set by Klaus and frankly, Tyler wouldn't blame him for it.

_Damn. Damn. Damn. _

**XXX**

Bonnie, Jamie, Ric and Sheriff Forbes were all packed up and ready to go within an hour. Caroline told them that she could not go with them, saying that someone needed to stay behind with Elena, in order to protect her as best as possible. They had all agreed that Elena could not go because then Klaus would go searching for them and they would never have the chance to find out how Abby had stopped Mikael. They didn't know that Caroline already had a plan to distract Klaus, and that was the real reason why she didn't need Elena to go with them.

The car was ready, all the bags were inside. They had packed light, with the expectation that they would not be away for very long. Caroline truly hope that was the case because what she was about to do was not something that she felt comfortable with.

The hardest was saying goodbye to her mother. Partly because she was trying to convince Caroline to go with them, and partly because this may very well be the last time that they would see each other. "I can't go, Mom. I'm sorry." She touched her mother's cheek and for the first time realized how beautiful her mother was. Sure, she hid behind the short haircut and the uniform, but even unadorned her mother looked good. Maybe, when this all blew over, she could help her mother tap into that beauty. Maybe she could even find love…with a straight sane man. "But you'll see me again soon, and we'll be able to be normal…or..." Caroline made a face, "something close to normal." She said this, not just for her mother but to give herself hope as well.

Her mother put her hand over Caroline's and pressed her cheek into her palm. "Normal is for boring people- you've never been boring, Caroline." She said sweetly.

They kissed and hugged.

It was really resolve that got her through the goodbyes. The last goodbye was to Bonnie, who promised to take care of the group if Caroline promised to take care of Elena. She took the note that Bonnie had written for Elena and put it into her purse, promising to give it to her.

"Don't let my mom come back until you all come back." Caroline warned, "no matter what, Bonnie. I don't care if you have to use your magic to brainwash her- do whatever it takes."

"I will." Bonnie promised. She held Caroline's hands in hers. "Listen, Care. I was getting bitter, really bitter. This new plan that we came up with? I feel good about something for the first time since my mom left. I really think we can do this."

"We have to." Caroline agreed. "Not just for us, but for everyone."

She hugged her friend tightly, not wanting to let go. She was going to miss Bonnie's determination, her wit and her humor. Most of all she was going to miss the comfort of Bonnie's embrace and the way Bonnie was able to chide her for ill behavior without making her feel like a total ass (Even when she was being a total ass.) "Take care of yourself too," Bonnie whispered in her ear before letting go.

"You too." Caroline responded, holding back tears. "You take care of yourself. Don't get burned out on magic, okay?"

"I won't. I promise."

Bonnie walked towards the Sheriff's SUV and Caroline felt her heart sink as they went. _This is it, Forbes. _She told herself with a verbal smack, _don't start crying now or they'll know what you're up to and they won't let you do it. Just wave goodbye_.

She looked into her mother's eyes from her place in the SUV. She had her hand over her heart and the look on her face was one of pure, maternal concern and love.

Caroline mirrored it back at her, thinking about how far they had come since she was just a bratty, insecure teenager who resented her mother for something that, in the end, had been her father's fault.

Caroline banished all of that from her mind though. Thinking of her dad was only going to deepen the depression that she was sinking into.

She couldn't pull her eyes away from the moving vehicle as it started down the road. Her eyes followed it until it vanished completely and the occupants were far enough away that she knew they wouldn't be returning. Sighing, she turned back into the house and flattened the piece of paper Bonnie had written her note on. Caroline tore out a piece of paper from the same notebook Bonnie had used and began her own letter, carefully wording it so that Elena would understand how severely problematic interference would be.

_Dear Elena,_

_ I am sure that you're upset, and you have every right to be. I realize that leaving you out of the loop was not kind of us. I hope that one day you can forgive us, forgive me, for doing all of this without your consent. Time is of the essence and we knew that convincing you of any of our plans would take a lot of time that we did not have. If it's any consolation, I didn't even tell Bonnie about __**my**__ plan, because I knew that she would try to stop me just like you would. _

_ While Bonnie and the others search for Abby, I will be keeping Klaus at bay. He has become too dangerous, too crazy and too much of a problem for me to ignore and we need to buy the group time to find a fix for the problem. I feel like I can distract him, and keep him from hurting anyone else. I have no reason to believe this, it's just a feeling, but I don't think that he will hurt me. So I am going to him, offering myself, in exchange for my mother's safety, and for the safety of all of you. I know that of all people you will understand that what I'm doing is the right thing. After all, I learned this move from you, right? Don't play stupid either, you know exactly what I am talking about. _

_ All my life I've been the selfish one, jealous of your kindness and the attention that it got you. Now I realize that I had inside me all along, I just needed a real reason, something substantial, to bring it out. This was the moment for me to protect everyone. It can't always be you, you know. So don't go and try and ruin this either, we need to keep him from figuring out that the others went away for as long as possible. Which means you have to stay out of his way! More importantly, you can't tell Bonnie or my mom what I'm doing because they will totally freak._

_ I want you to know that even when I was jealous of everyone liking you best, I still loved you like a sister. I always have and I always will; nothing can ever change that. Well, unless you mess this up and try to rescue me because then I'll be pissed. _

_ Lots of love,_

_ Caroline_

She folded the note carefully and placed it next to Bonnie's note that said now said, 'open first.' That note would explain what the others were up to so that Elena would not be confused.

She looked at the notes, side by side, waiting for the reader to take them into her hands, and sighed heavily. Elena was going to be so mad. Caroline only hoped that she would be respectful enough to do as her own note asked and butt the heck out.

Caroline started toward the door, stopped and looked behind her at Abby's home. _Find her, Bonnie. _She willed with her mind, _so that this can all be over soon. _

But now it was time for her part…and she needed to put in an Emmy winning performance.

**XXX**

Elena tried, with difficulty, to absorb the information that Elijah was giving her.

Stefan had arrived a moment after Elijah showed up at er door, as if sensing the Original. Damon closely followed and Elijah had to revisit the story that he was telling so the older brother could know the full tale. Stefan was across from her in the dining room, leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest. Damon was to her right, closer in proximity as usual.

As it turned out, Elijah was keeping Jeremy safe in Colorado. He was teaching Jeremy how to protect himself from vampires. Elijah was doing all of the things that Elena wished she had been doing. "I sent him away to keep him safe," she finally told Elijah when he had finished talking about his time with Jeremy. "But that was just a pipe dream, wasn't it? He was never safe."

"You did what was best for him." Elijah responded in that elegant, polite tone he always used unless anger got the best of him. The way he sat, the way he spoke and the way he moved commanded respect and attention, as though he were a great leader. "He was safe, still is. He called me to tell me so, it's how I know he wasn't taken. He waited two days though. I suppose it was to give him a head start if I went looking for him."

"And you think he came here?" Damon asked, "why?"

"Where else would he go?" Elijah replied, turning his head ever so slightly to look at Damon. Elijah's features; which Elena had always thought were that of a stony warrior and so lacked the same descriptors as his tone and mannerisms that they should belong to two different people; were taut and serious. She half-thought he really cared for Jeremy, but knowing the Originals better than that, perished the thought. This had to be some sort of trick.

"I don't know, maybe _not_ the place he was compelled to leave?" Damon asked caustically.

For a moment, she noticed Elijah's expression changed, as if he were missing a piece of some puzzle and it finally made sense. He must not have realized that Jeremy had been compelled. "He's here." He said, "something made him come back. There would have been no other reason for him to leave Colorado. We were getting along fine."

Her stomach plummeted and she cursed having ever sent her brother away. What an idiot she had been. As soon as Elijah was gone, she would find Bonnie and they would locate him together. She'd need to talk to her friend anyway and give her the apology owed to her over sending her brother away in the first place.

"We should split up and look for him then." Stefan decided. He looked directly into her eyes, as if silently telling her _not _to go with Elijah. She didn't need the warning, where she was going, she didn't want any vampire with her. Bonnie would freak out if she brought any of them, and Elena didn't really blame her for it.

"We should," she agreed with Stefan and gave him a small, tentative smile. She still wasn't sure how she was supposed to handle Stefan, how she was to treat him or talk to him and that left her feeling awkward and uncertain. "We'll call if any of us find him."

"We will find him." Elijah told her reassuringly.

"Where do we look though? Boy wonder was a lone wolf." Damon pointed out.

"Klaus may have him." Stefan put in, "I'll take Klaus."

Elijah began to shake his head, but Elena interrupted. "As far as we know Klaus doesn't know you're here, which means we have a little advantage over him. I'd like to keep that advantage."

"Maybe wolfboy is back?" Damon put in, "so I'll check the Lockwood mansion."

"And where will you look, Elena?" Elijah asked.

"I'll try the Mystic Grille and a few of his favorite haunts. It's worth a shot." She lied, knowing that Elijah would hear the lie. It was strange that he knew when she was lying, while Stefan and Damon couldn't pick it out. Her gaze settled on Elijah in contemplation of that fact, when he caught her staring, she quickly looked away and back at Stefan. "Elijah will stay here, in case Jer shows up. Whoever finds him calls the others."

"Right."

**XXX**

All of his things were ready. All he would have to do is grab Elena and he could head out of Mystic Falls forever, and nothing suited him more than leaving such a miserable place. As he pulled out his phone to make sure his jet was ready to take them overseas, a knock came at the door. Sighing with exaggerated impatience, he walked towards the sound and opened the door to see Caroline Forbes standing there looking like sunlight personified. She wore a yellow sundress that made her hair look all of the more golden and her pale skin look like beams of light on a white wall. Her being there took him off guard, but her_ looking like_ _that _was enough to take his breath away and leave him speechless. "You didn't kill me." She said, brushing past him and into his house like she owned it. "Why?"

He turned around, closed the door and stood in front of her; doing so in one swift move. "You just escaped." He replied, inching into her space for two reasons. The first was to intimidate her, and the second was so that he could breathe her in. "But I see we still have a death wish, I'm happy to oblige."

"No." She told him currently, "you had your chance to rip my heart out, and I know you are fast enough, strong enough and mad enough to have done it. You didn't. You must want me alive, so here I am. Alive. Standing before you with an offer."

"You wish to deal?" Secretly he was delighted, this audacity on her part was most attractive. He kept his voice full of antagonism though, as not to show his hand too quickly. "What do you have to deal with?"

"Myself." She answered, chin squared, shoulders back and eyes narrowed. She crossed the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She looked like she belonged in his home, matching him and stature and confidence. Her surroundings were as grand as her beauty, tall walls with famous paintings hanging; items so rare and precious that even the most powerful and mighty would turn green with jealousy. The light colors of the foyer made her look all the more golden and treasurable. "I will stay here with you."

"And what makes you think I still want you?" He scoffed.

She smiled, much like the expression of the Mona Lisa that had so many wondering her thoughts, or rather the thoughts of the man who painted her. "Why wouldn't you?"

At that he couldn't help but smile, "so you will stay here, with me." The words tasted delicious coming out, but he left a smile fade. "What is it that you want?"

"The safety of my family and friends. No more raging and threatening. Let them live their lives in peace, and I will be yours for as long as you want me."

"Ah." He paused, "so you were the sacrificial lamb, so to speak. Odd, I didn't picture you to be the victim. In fact, I suspect that this is some kind of hoax and you mean to thwart me." He was unable to suppress his arrogance and the amusement he found from the whole idea of this teenager getting the best of him. It could never happen.

"I'm not asking you to trust me." She took a step towards him, eyes glittering in the light. "In fact, I know it would be stupid of you to trust me, it would be weak and it would be foolish. You're none of those things." Her voice had gone lower, softer. If his hearing was as weak as a human's he wouldn't have even heard the words. She was close to him then. Very close and he couldn't help but feel the attraction that hummed between them. If he bowed is head slightly, he could brush his lips against hers. "I'm asking you to keep me here. A man who has lived as long as you have would never be tricked by a small-town high school girl, would he?"

Klaus gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, not entirely sure what she was getting at.

"You have lived for so long, don't you ever get bored?" She stepped back, sounding nonchalant and almost bored herself.

"I find entertainments where I can."

"Think of this as that, as a game. Assume that I am trying to trick you at every turn, never take your eyes off of me, doesn't that sound exciting?"

Boredom was, indeed, a trap of eternity, and what she offered sounded pleasing and fun. In the end she would never win though, but he was inclined to let her try and it would pass the time. He stepped towards her, rekindling their closeness "what if I just kept you locked away?" He asked, he gently took a lock of her silken hair between his forefinger and thumb, standing so close to her that the scent of her flowery perfume invaded his senses. "Like my own Rapunzel? Then you don't stand a chance, do you?"

"That is entirely up to you. If locking me away is the kind of game you find entertaining, then you know I can't stop you."

He smiled again but this time he knew it was the expression of a predator because her eyes widened just a little with fear. She was right to be afraid, for he knew he was terrifying and it delighted him that she knew what she was getting into. He kept his face centimeters from hers and fought the urge to kiss her. Not yet. That would come though, after all that was part of the game. "I accept your deal. Your life for theirs. I'll have a room prepared for you, next to mine."

He could no longer read her expression but somehow he knew she was relieved. They stood there eyes locked together and he dropped her hair back onto her shoulders. Then he stepped back as he heard a familiar voice from the outside speaking. "Stefan is at the door. Is this your doing?" He questioned, looking at her speculatively. His hand dropped her wrist, he held it up, his grip tight. He pulled her so that she was against him and their eyes were locked so he could read what her eyes should be telling him. "Have you betrayed the game already?"

**XXX **

Jeremy arrived at the old ruins of the Lockwood estate, doing his best to keep out of site. He had been smart, wearing greens and browns to camouflage himself. He didn't trust Tyler, not really, and he liked leaving Elijah even less. After all, Elijah had been so good to him, so helpful and Jeremy found that he genuinely liked the vampire, that he enjoyed talking to him and learning from him. _But Anna_, he thought to himself, slightly awed and incredulously, _if there is even a chance he is telling the truth, that there is someone who looks like her…that maybe she's…_

He stopped short of that poisonous little thought.

The idea that she was actually alive was absurd. That kind of thing only happened in his dreams. Not even on a perfect day like this; where the sun was bright and large in a cloudless sky, the birds chirped in a cheerful and obliging manner, and where the forest was a green so lush that it looked like it belonged in a Disney movie; could something so amazing be possible. Jeremy quietly climbed a tree, and settled herself in a branch to get a good look without being seen himself. Just as his hand reached the final branch, he stopped and his breath was gone. Standing on a branch he intended to sit on was Anna, her wiry curls knotted and wild. He couldn't believe it. But there she was just the same, wearing a pair of old gray sweatpants that were far too large for her and a purple LSU t-shirt that could have served as a nightgown.

Before he could move, or even speak, she grabbed his wrist and started lifting him, as though he weighed nothing. As the pressure on his shoulder began to grow, he grabbed her with his free hand, grasping her wrist and easing the pain. His legs dangled in the air but he kept his eyes fastened on her face, puzzled at the delighted smile upturning her lips.

"Put him down!" Came Tyler's voice from below, it was a half whisper and half shout, which led Jeremy to believe they were hiding from something.

"He'll break if I do." There was laughter beneath her voice as she said the words, but she was already lifting him onto the branch and steadying him. She guided one of his hands to hold the branch above them so that he wouldn't fall. "You must be Jeremy." She gave him a once over with her eyes and smiled. "Tyler said that we were friends, is that true? Because from the way you're looking at me, I would say we're more than friends."

He wasn't sure how to answer her. The giddiness inside him was keeping words from escaping his lips, and he was not at all put off by the fact that she didn't seem to remember anything, just as Tyler had said in his message. The memories could come back, all that really mattered was that she was alive and he was with her. At this point, Jeremy would forgive Tyler anything, for this was a gift beyond measure.

She grabbed him, pulled him close and then in a flash they were on the ground with such ease and grace that Jeremy didn't even have the notion of being frightened from the fall. Instead he was too wrapped up in her fresh scent and the way she felt draped around him. Tyler was grinning at him, "so, do you think it's her?"

Jeremy wanted to believe that it was, but there was a way to check and he resolved himself to ask her despite the discomfort it might bring. "On your lower back and your lower front, just where the curve to your," he coughed and decided on saying it differently, "well, are there a series of little circles going all the way around? Almost where the hem of your pants would sit?"

"There is." Tyler said, and Jeremy gave him a sharp look, feeling startled.

"What?" He asked, "she was naked when I found her."

"Then it's you." Jeremy smiled, looking to Anna, Tyler's seeing her nudity forgotten as he pulled her in and whipped her around before setting her back on the ground. He touched her hair, sweeping it away from her face. "Anna, it's really you."

There were no words for his joy. All of his life he had lost people, and prayed that they would come back to him. This was the first time that it actually happened and he couldn't get the smile off of his face.

"Don't get too excited, Gilbert. She doesn't have a clue on who you are, and all we know about her is that we think she's running from the Originals."

**XXX**

Damon arrived at the Lockwood mansion to greet Rebekah, who he already knew was there. He grinned at the side of her, cheerfully noting her lack of smile. "I thought you'd be happier to see me."

"You're obviously delusional." Came her quick, snappy retort.

She really was a bombshell, and not too bad in the sack. Not that he was really interested in her, but he liked to give credit where credit was due. "Where's your brother? Or is he still at Anna's gravesite, collecting ashes?"

"You're vulgar and disgusting." She walked past him toward the Lockwood's prize garden. "What do you want, Damon?"

"Just looking around, seeing if you had any new visitors lately."

Rebekah turned to him, "we have nothing to do with Klaus, he's completely your problem." She assumed with annoyance, "Speaking of, seen Elena lately?"

Damon stifled a glare and replaced it with a charming smile. "she's safe as houses, thanks." Came his smooth reply. Rebekah and Kol had warned him that Klaus had been planning to leave town with Elena, in return he had given them information on what had happened to Jeremy's vampire, ex-squeeze, including where she died. Why they were interested, Damon had no idea, he wasn't even sure how they could have known the tiny vampire girl. Not that it mattered, the information he gave them couldn't harm them at all. But curiosity begged him to ask again. "How did you know her anyway?"

Rebekah smirked, "it doesn't matter now does it. Thanks to this town, she's gone."

"If you hate this town so much, why not just leave? Or are you sticking around, hoping for a little more hate-sex?"

"If I was, I'm certain I could find a better partner." She replied and sat down on the bench in the middle of the roses. She looked down at them almost dotingly, as though she'd rather be nowhere else. "Now go away, or look around if you'd like. Just leave me be."

"As you wish, heiness." He answered sarcastically, going on his way to see if he could find Tyler, Jeremy or anything else that might lead him to Elena's little brother.

**XXX**

Elijah watched as Elena walked out of the little house he had followed her to. She tried her hardest to shake any kind of tale she might have, but it was futile. He had centuries of tracking on his side, and I was not something that she could avoid. She was visibly distraught, and he could tell she had been crying. Despite his better judgment, he stepped out of the shadows so that she could see him. It was stupid of him, but he couldn't stand seeing her so upset and not do anything to comfort her.

"You followed me." She accused, her sadness giving way to anger. "I told you to stay at the house."

"I'm not accustomed to taking orders." She sighed heavily, looking every bit as exhausted as someone with her burdens should. He pitied her. She was so young and yet had such weight on her shoulders, she had seen things that no one should ever have to see, let alone someone her age. He closed some space between them, "I know you don't trust me, nor should you after how we parted ways the last time I was here, Elena. But look at you. You're tired and from the tension in the house today, that is in no small part due to Damon and Stefan's little tug-of-war with you. You can talk to me, I swear it."

She waved his sentiment away, "it's fine."

"It isn't fine. _You_ aren't fine, Elena."

"I have to be." She countered softly, and he could tell how desperate the words were. "Come on, let's go look somewhere else for Jeremy." She crumpled up some paper in her hand and shoved it into her pocket. He wanted to question what it was, but knew better.

"You'll be of no use to Jeremy if you pass out cold, Elena." He warned. "Look, if there is one thing you know of me, I am a man of my word."

"You mean besides the time you allowed Klaus to live so you could find your family?"

The blow hit where it intended, and he gave her a slight nod. "Of course you're right." He replied, feeling more than a little dejected. She let out a defeated sound, then looked at the ground. "I'm sorry- I know I've betrayed you too. I can't really think of one person I haven't betrayed at this point, really."

Elijah resisted the urge to drape an arm around her shoulder in comfort. "You've done it for the right reasons though."

"Have I?" she asked, almost helplessly, "and even if I have, Jeremy is still out there, possibly hurt and that is _my_ fault. And my friends-" she stopped short, "nevermind."

He let the mistake slide and did not ask what she was going to say about her friends. He started towards her SUV opening the passenger door for her. "I'll drive."

She nodded, looking too tired to even argue. He assisted her into the van then stopped before shutting the door. "I want you to know, Elena, for what it is worth. I went to protect your brother to make this all up to you, to settle this debt between us and so we could part as something other than enemies." She really was such a lovely thing, so beautiful and intrinsically _good_. "But…I came to care for your brother, and I will do all that I can to help you find him."

She stared back at him and he almost felt some kind of buzzing between them, like an electricity of sorts. "I believe you." She finally told him. "But I still don't trust you."

"Do you think you ever will?"

She left the question with a long silence, and instead of answering she said, meekly, "let's find my brother first, okay? I need to take this one step at a time."

He nodded, feeling he deserved no better.

**Alaric and Bonnie haven't left the scene, they will be in the next chapter, I promise**

**More Kol next chapter, trust me!**

**Please read and respond! :o)**


	3. Chapter 2

Firstly: I am so sorry this took so long! There were some personal issues that had to be dealt with and it totally ate all of my free time up! Thankfully it is all sorted out and my life is back to normal! YAY! Thanks for your patience!

**Sweetwater Gal:** That's so incredibly sweet of you to say! I realize my fanfic is a little different than most out there, so I'm not really surprised at the lack of responses.

There's a little more build up to the Anna reveal to Beks and Kol before all is revealed. Plus, poor Jer has quite the road in front of him too. We can't make it easy for the poor lad now can we? Haha 

I love writing for Caroline!

E&E are truly soulmates imo. They just can relate to each other in a way none of the other characters understand (like when she accepted the deal where she had to die, and he was understanding of why she did it). They will be a slow burn in this story, but it is THEIR story. I just need to get them where they need to be first.

Thank you so much for the response and I'm so glad you're digging the tale! I hope I can keep it up!

**Lilylulurose**: I think it'll be a surprise what those twisted sibs are up to and how it deals with Anna (who I agree should have never been killed off).

I dig Beks and Damon too, they have great chemistry and they are both so snarky that it's fun to hear them talk to each other.

There will definitely be more E&E, I just need to get them into the right place first before it heats up. Right now she's torn between Damon/Stefan, so she needs to get out of THAT first. Something will happen though that puts her firmly on teamElijah I promise.

The Klaroline plot is born out of my absolute love of really twisted and dark relationships, lol. I really wanted to showcase Caroline's strengths and Klaus' weaknesses- instead of making it the other way around, you know?

I am so glad that you're enjoying this story! Thanks so much!

**Supernatural-Girl**: Thanks so much! I will be updating more regularly now!

**Chapter Two: Baby Steps**

Caroline's body was taut within Klaus' grip as panicked thoughts raced through her mind. Had Elena already received her letter? But it was so soon, too soon. Something was wrong. She looked Klaus directly in the eye, and said with conviction, "whatever he's doing here, has nothing to do with me."

His eyes held hers for a few moments, then he stalked towards the door pulling her with him hard by the hand. He swung the door open, standing there with her by his side, a predatory smile touching his lips. Caroline looked to Stefan, willing him to be surprised at seeing her and received her wish. Stefan's eyes widened a little, his lips parted slightly in astonishment at her presence. "Caroline? What are you doing here?"

"She's staying here," Klaus told him, and Caroline realized that arrogance looked good on him. That smug, triumphant air he had was as natural to him as the color of his hair. "We've decided to get along, it's a shame that the same arrangement couldn't have been made with you. But such is life."

"You can't be serious." Stefan admonished, she wasn't even looking at Klaus. His eyes were directly and inextricably placed on _her. _There was betrayal there, and even a little bit of hurt. She hadn't been close to Stefan lately, since he fell off the wagon he had been doing his best to avoid her, and she had made no effort to change that. Now she found that regrettable, and was ashamed of the fact that she had let him get away from her. Truth be told, she hadn't wanted to see him acting as he had. She wanted to know Stefan the way she liked knowing him, as the friend who helped her transition into a vampire with a conscience. Caroline couldn't help but notice that Elena had looked at him differently lately, and she didn't want her feelings for her friend to change. "Caroline you can't do this, you can't side with Klaus. It will change you."

Shame washed over her and she couldn't look at him. The reason she had avoided him was now a decision that she herself had made. To save Damon, Stefan had given into Klaus and killed many more for the sake of one life. She had no doubt that she would be making the same decisions and that she may have to kill strangers in order to save her friends. "Maybe this is the side I want to be on, did you ever think of that?"

Klaus smirked and Caroline caught it out of the corner of her eye. "Now mate, I think the question that remains is; what are you doing here?"

But Stefan wasn't ready to answer Klaus's question, his eyes were still trained on her and in a way that made her uncomfortable. She frowned, but felt Klaus's hand tightening on hers and decided to keep her expression as dispassionate as possible. She looked down at their intertwined fingers then back up at Stefan. "I'm not expecting you to understand it. I'm just expecting you to accept it."

"I'm the least of your concern," Stefan retaliated wearily, "you know Elena won't stand for this."

"Elena isn't my keeper." Caroline responded evenly, "I'm doing what's right, and eventually she'll see that. Now, I believe Klaus asked you a question."

Stefan finally tore his gaze from her and looked at the Original vampire with a renewed hatred. Bubbles of worry settled in her stomach and she swallowed, hoping that the nice Salvatore brother wasn't going to set the powerful, psycho vamp off. If there was a fight between the two, Caroline would _have_ to side with Klaus- because when it came down to it, Caroline would protect her mother over Stefan, just as he would protect Elena over everyone else. "I was wondering," Stefan began, "if you were still watching Jeremy."

"Kol was." Klaus responded viciously, "but I kept up my end, I didn't hurt him. Elena and I had a deal."

"But you threatened him to Bonnie."

"I did." Klaus smiled, "but in truth, it was a bluff. I never leave important tasks to Kol, you see he's not the most reliable or sane member of my family. If Bonnie had not fulfilled my desire, I would've killed her mother not Jeremy. As I said, I had a deal with Elena." His askance look at Caroline was one of reassurance, as though saying that he would keep _their_ deal too. "Did you lose him? It figures."

Stefan said nothing, but gave Caroline one long look that held an element of understanding in it, as if to say, 'I have been where you are and I wish you luck.'

When she looked to Klaus, she sighed. Luck was something she was going to need.

Stefan left without saying goodbye and Caroline was once again alone with her new _roommate_. "The answer to losing siblings, is to keep them locked away." Klaus said merrily after the door closed and then walked back into the foyer with Caroline following her stomach doing flip-flops.

**XXX**

"Are you quite finished examining the grounds, Damon?" Rebekah asked as he approached her once more, having seen nothing that would tell him of Jeremy's whereabouts... She was still sitting in the rose garden, but now she had a tea cup in her hand and a book beside her. He couldn't help but be a little surprised, this didn't really seem to be her style.

He didn't answer, instead he responded with a question. "No Kol yet?"

"He's obsessing," she sighed, "you'll find that is a common trait in our family, I'm afraid." She took a sip of her tea and then frowned at him. "What? Why are you staring at me like that? Do you fancy some tea for yourself?"

He snorted, "right. I'm a _tea_ guy."

She rolled her eyes and sat the cup down next to her on the bench, clearly indicating he had no place to sit next to her. It didn't matter, he had no desire to anyway. He did, however, have a few good questions he needed answering. "So what is Kol obsessing over?"

"Does it matter, Damon? It does not involve you or Elena, so why would you even care?"

"Curiosity."

"Nothing good comes from being curious about an Original." She told him matter-of-factly, "there are a list of graves you can visit to prove that fact." She stood up, tea in hand book in the other and started away from him. He followed, despite the obviousness that she wanted to get as far away from him as possible. "Are you really looking for more torture, Damon? Because, honestly, it's the only time we've spent together that I wish to replicate."

He put a hand over his heart, mocking a pained expression. "Ouch."

A sigh followed, "oh yea, I'm sure you're mortally wounded. Why don't you just go pant after your brother's girl some more? At least that will be a waste of time that doesn't involve me, eh?" She stopped walking as she reached the steps, then looked him right in the eyes. "If you listen to nothing else I say, listen to this, Damon. Kol is a thousand times darker than Klaus had ever been. There was a reason that Klaus put Kol in that coffin and I promise you that it wasn't about loyalty. Your curiosity will get you nothing but trouble."

"I'm shaking in my boots."

"If you had any sense at all, you would be." She responded acidly before turning back and walking up the steps. She slammed the door behind her, leaving Damon alone on the Lockwood lawn.

**XXX  
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"Jeremy, I'm here in Mystic Falls, with your sister. Get to your house, we're worried about you."

Elijah hung up the phone, and looked to Elena, who didn't look any more cheerful than she had when she left the house in the woods. They had looked around Mystic Falls, at the Grille, the library, in the school. Elena had even checked of her parents graves, or the spot where kids liked to party despite the fact that less than a year ago a group of kids were killed there. No luck. Jeremy seemed to have disappeared.

"He's in town Elena, there would be nowhere else for him to go and he did text me to tell us he was safe." His words seemed to have no effect, and regrettably he had no other comfort for her. He should've been paying closer attention to the boy, he should not have let him out of his sight, no matter how safe things seemed or how rational the boy had been acting. "We can go looking again."

She looked up but without seeing him, and her large dark eyes were filled with regret. "He doesn't want to be found. Whatever is going on, he's not letting either of us in on it. It seems he's not the only one either. I just want to understand how things got this way, when did we all stop trusting each other? Why did everything becomes so complicated?"

He wasn't sure what exactly she was talking about, because he wasn't in the know on everything. She didn't trust him and she had no real reason to. So she just covered her hand with his over the kitchen table and tried to catch her eyes. "It's not going to be broken forever. You just have to work on fixing it." She said nothing. For someone who usually had so much hope, she really seemed to be lost in despair. There had to be something that could change that but in order for him to help he needed to know what was really going on. What had upset her so much in the house? What had left her flawless skin stained with tears? "There is something you can talk to me about, and it won't betray any of your friends. I recognize that things between you and Stefan have changed, as well as things between you and Damon. You can speak to me about that at least, right?"

Her mouth opened, then she snapped it shut. "I can't talk about it with Bonnie, because they just turned her mother, and I can't talk about it with Caroline because no matter how much she says that she would be impartial, Damon was terrible to her. How could she be impartial? How could I be impartial? I shouldn't have feelings for Damon at all. He killed my brother, he terrorized my friend and he's done any number of things that I should hate him for. So why don't I?"

His hand was still on hers, and he gently stroked it with his thumb. Of course that would confuse her, it would confuse anyone. "Because you've seen another side of him, a side he doesn't let many people see. He's wounded, and if there's one thing I know about you Elena, it's that you can't walk away from wounded people."

Finally her eyes met his, she sucked in a breath and said, "you must think I'm so stupid. You're right. I am."

"No, I don't think you're stupid. I've never thought that. It's not stupidity that causes your mistakes, it's compassion, it's empathy, it's the fact that you've already lost so many people in your life and you don't want to lose anymore. None of those things make you stupid, they make you human."

"He'll never change though. He doesn't want to."

"No, he probably won't."

"And Stefan…" She trailed off and shook her head, "he was so afraid that I would see this side of him, he tried so hard to hide it from me, and now it's all I ever see with him. He was worse than Damon, did you know that? Do you know what he has done?"

"I do." Elijah nodded, "I'm well versed on the history of the Salvatore brothers. I did my research, and I promise that I'm a very thorough person."

That brought a smile, however small, to her lips. "Somehow that isn't a surprise."

He let himself smile at the little jab, appreciating it because it made it feel as though she knew him. "Really? I thought I came off as such a carefree guy."

He was, surprisingly, rewarded with a chuckle, even if it was halfhearted. "Well let's go be thorough," she told him softly, taking her hand from his. "We can go look around this town again, maybe this time we will have some luck."

**XXX**

Bonnie waited in the hotel lobby and found it strange that she wasn't nervous at all. She should be nervous, she was about to ask Lucy, a cousin she was not really close to, for an enormous favor.

Bonnie's reasons for not being nervous soon revealed itself at Lucy's arrival. She was all smiles and excitement to see her, with plenty of, "of course I will help"s and "anything I can do"s.

She immediately followed Bonnie up to the hotel room, going on about how they were in witch country now and wanting to introduce her to the circle. "They can definitely help you, not just with finding Abby, but with this ring problem your friend is having."

Bonnie's ease tripled as they discussed the potential of actually working with her grandmother's former circle. It turned out that they were willing to invite Lucy back into the fold, despite her fallacies from before and were more than excited to see Bonnie.

Witches. Not just one, but many and they were excited to see _her_. Maybe they could answer her questions, or help her develop her technique, _or help me get rid of the Originals,_ The last thought she put into silent words, almost like a prayer as she opened the door to see Sheriff Forbes leafing through hunting weapons magazine on one of the beds and Alaric watching the History channel on the other bed. They were just two living, breathing stereotypes, but Bonnie smiled because there was no better way to introduce them. "Alaric, Sheriff Forbes-"

"Liz, Bonnie." The sheriff corrected again, "I think formalities are just ridiculous now, don't you?"

"Liz," Bonnie repeated with a slow smile, "this is my cousin- Lucy. Lucy, Liz and Alaric."

She waltzed up them, her thick mane shaking behind her as she smiled and took each of their hands, shaking them one after the other. She moved like a witch should move, Bonnie decided. Every shift was filled with grace and dignity. It didn't hurt that she was wearing a pair of black slacks and a silvery off the shoulder shirt that flowed like water down her flawless chocolate skin. "So, my cousin here has told me there's trouble and that you've come to me to help fix it."

Ric nodded, looking nervous and more than a little guilty.

"Good. Because solving problems is good for my mojo, you know?" There was laughter behind her eyes as the two adults shifted uncomfortably before her. "Hey- didn't you say there was another one with you?"

"Jaime," Bonnie said, realizing for the first time that he was missing. "Where did he go?"

"Right here."

Bonnie turned around and smiled at him, "I brought the cavalry." She glanced at her cousin.

"Cool- I brought the ice." He walked passed her unimpressed and her eyes followed him with concern. She wished she could share an encouraging word or _something_ to help him feel better. So she looked to Lucy who gave her an understanding nod and Bonnie followed Jaime to the back of the room, where he was scooping ice into a glass he was preparing for his soda. "What is it?" He asked without looking up.

"We're going to find her."

"And?" He asked lowly, "she'll still want nothing to do with me, will she? She'll still be a vampire."

"The circle will help her," Bonnie inserted. "She was one of them, even as a vampire they can't turn their back on one of their own. Maybe they have some kind of herbs or something to ease the blood cravings- who knows? Just don't give up, Jaime. Okay? In the end? We have to win this."

"And if we don't?"

"There is no 'if we don't.'" she told him evenly, "don't you get it? We don't have a choice."

**XXX**

"Really Kol where have you been?" Rebekah could barely contain her anger, if Niklaus was frustrating, Kol drew people to their wits end. At least Niklaus had a goal, something that could be measured and therefore predictable in a sense. The same could not be said for Kol most of the time. She was sure of him at the moment, only because she knew what he wanted. All that could be said all the time was that he was mad, and always had been, even as a human.

Originally, that was why Niklaus had come to Kol for help. Unlike Elijah, Kol didn't see any use for morals, or to be more precise, he didn't understand right from wrong. But soon Niklaus was to find that Kol was unpredictable, dangerous and someone he couldn't control. Niklaus learned the hard way, what Rebekah had always known. "I was hunting." He responded cheerfully, "a beautiful but bitter young woman. She was lovely and uninterested."

"A real challenge, huh?" Asked Rebekah knowingly. "No luck on your real challenge, I imagine."

"Not yet. But she won't go far."

"No, I guess she wouldn't, not after last time."

The memory brought a silence between them and Rebekah desperately wanted to know what her brother was thinking. He was not an easy person to read, and he never had been. He was charming and witty, and more than adapt at hiding his feelings. In fact, he could lie to anyone at any time and they would never know. It was a gift of his, and it had served him well throughout the years. She was often jealous of the skill, because it was so very hard for her to hide her emotions. Niklaus was more like her in that regard, as they both had fiery tempers. Kol was as cold as the ice-berg that sank the Titanic, leaving her to wonder if he was just that good at hiding his emotions, or if he just didn't have any.

"She has nowhere to go."

"Perhaps you're misjudging the situation. You have been in a coffin for quite some time, maybe things have changed."

It was his turn to smirk and when he faced her, there was no doubt or worry on his handsome face. "We don't change, Rebekah. Elijah hasn't changed in 1000 years, neither have you and neither has she."

"But we were made from magic, we're different than those we made." But the doubt that she felt was evidence in her tone and once again she wished that she was a better liar. However he was right, change was incredibly difficult for their kind.

As children she and Kol were often thrown together, as they were close in age and because Kol often had trouble breathing, he was left out of the work her brothers had to do. It was because of this that she and Kol had similar interests and tastes. They both had a love of dancing, music and of magic. While they differed greatly in personality, they got along on the sheer fact that they had similar interests and were both very fond of social situations. They were entertainers, Rebekah had once told him, and more than adroit at distracting people with their charms in order to obtain whatever goal it was they were after.

"She hasn't changed." He said decidedly and she knew there was no arguing with him after that point. His dark eyes glinted, "she'll be in this town."

Rebekah nodded at him, "then we stay until we find her."

"Are you eager to leave?"

Rebekah was not, but after they retrieved Anna, she needed to put miles between she and Niklaus. The time had arrived for them to part ways, he had no departed as he said he would and she was beginning to think that he wasn't going to. "You will be too."

"Yes." A nod was followed by a bright smile, "yes, I believe we will."

**XXX**

Anna hopped onto the log, walking it as though it were a tightrope over the creek to the other side. Jeremy sat on a rock, watching her move gracefully, turning in a hop, then going back over the path she had already walked. She was so beautiful, even there in Tyler's clothes with no make-up, she was the most gorgeous creature he had ever seen.

The fact that she was alive made him happier than he had been in a long, long time. It almost didn't matter to him how she got back, or that she didn't remember anything. Almost.

But there was a nagging inside him that told him she wouldn't be there forever, that if he didn't find out why and how she had been returned to him, that he would lose her all over again.

He had explained her life as best as he could to her while they sat in the woods. She listened passively, with an acerbic remark punctuating the story every once in a while. By the time he had finished, he came up with his own conclusion. The truth of the matter was that he knew very little about her outside of her personality and what happened to her in Mystic Falls.

He didn't even know her age, really, outside of Damon saying that Pearl had been older than 500.

The story of her life ended up being more of a story about how he felt about her life. In a way, it was cathartic and he almost felt like it was a confession. He even expressed his regret over his treatment of Bonnie and how unfair it had all been for her.

She listened through all of it with detachment. It made sense, since she had no recollection of the events he spoke of. He, however, was barely keeping it together through the damn story and thought that he was going to lose it by the time he got to her end in his life. "So these Original vampire things," she said slowly when he had finished and a stretch of silence followed, "you don't know how I know them?"

He shook his head, "I'm sorry- you never mentioned them to me, not even when you were a ghost."

"I wonder why. I wonder how I knew where Mikael was kept too. But you know what I really wonder?"

"What?" Jeremy asked.

She finally hopped onto the ground, right in front of them so that their eyes met squarely. He wanted to dip his face, catch her lips with his and tangle his hands in her hair as he devoured her mouth. Every inch of him wanted to simply take her right there in the woods. "Why didn't I kill that bitch Katherine?"

That…was actually a damn good question and it yanked him back into the reality of things and out of his hormones. "Maybe I could ask Elijah."

"Elijah." She repeated, then frowned, "who is that?"

"He's an Original." Jeremy answered easily, "but he's not a psycho one like the others. He's actually a really cool guy, he's been helping me train with weapons so that I can defend myself." He stopped, then confessed, "to be honest, he's done more than that for me. He listens when I talk, he values my opinion and he lets me make my own choices. That's more than most in my life."

She tilted her head to the side, "and if he hates me for some reason you don't know about? There is no guarantee he and I don't have some ancient grudge, that he hates me and wants me dead." A slight frown touched her face, "I think maybe I should leave you alone completely. Great things don't really happen to either of us when we're together, it seems."

He reached out, circling her forearm with his fingers, "no, please don't." It came out a little raspier than he wanted but he went on anyway, "you don't…know how much I've missed you."

She looked down at where his hand was on her then back up into his eyes, "this can't be easy for you though- being here with a stranger wearing the face of a girl you loved."

"It's easier than not seeing your face." Was his reply, feeling the twisting in his gut that came with her _not_ being there. "I won't tell Elijah about you, okay? Just don't go away again."

Their eyes were locked and he wanted so desperately to see recognition there, to see some semblance of the sparkle that used to light those eyes up when she looked at him. Instead he saw uncertainty and worry, like she was about to agree to something that she knew was a terrible idea. Her teeth worried her bottom lip, as she looked from side to side toward the ground. Finally she looked back up at him and gave him a swift nod. "Alright." It wasn't a heartfelt promise, but he was going to take it, not that he had much of a choice.

"I should probably call Elijah, he's called a thousand times and I think he's a little worried. I won't tell him anything."

Another swift nod.

"Then we'll figure out where you're staying, maybe get you some new clothes and some other stuff." He pulled his phone out, but before calling Elijah he said, "we'll keep you safe, Anna. Nothing will happen to you again."

**XXX**

"It would have been incredibly considerate of you to warn me before you're leaving town to help a friend, Jeremy. I was worried enough to come to Mystic Falls and alarm your sister." Elijah was saying into the phone. There was an edge in his voice, like a parent talking to a child who broke curfew and left the parent worrying for a few hours. There was a pause, "well yes, I realize that you can make your own decisions." Another pause. Elena could only imagine what her brother was saying to the Original. "You will be sleeping at your home tonight, though. Good. I will see you soon then." Elijah hung up the phone, then looked to Elena. "He'll be home in time for a movie before bed."

"Movie before bed?" She asked.

The corners of Elijah's mouth raised, "we often watch films before going to bed. We take turns choosing them, of course. Perhaps this evening you can choose."

Elena was taken off guard, "wait- you're staying the night?"

He shook his head, "I compelled the neighbor to let me stay there, I thought you would be more comfortable if I was not here and I would feel more comfortable at a distance where I can be of use if needed."

She didn't answer him right away, nor did he look expectant of one. Instead she walked across the park to the swings, then tugged at the chain holding it up, rocking the vacant chair slightly. If he stayed at her home, he would know if Klaus entered, he may even be able to get Jeremy out of the house before anything major went down. The extra protection for her brother would be nice. "You can stay here." She finally said softly, "Jeremy would probably be more likely to stick around. No doubt he has figured out that I had Damon compel him and is probably less than happy."

"He was." Elijah admitted, "but then I asked him, if he had the power to do the same for you, would he have? And I think it put the whole deal in perspective."

Elena mustered a smile, though she didn't feel all that much better. "Thanks. Did he say why he came back here without telling you?"

Elijah shrugged, "he said a friend needed his help. If there had been time to tell me about it, there would have been time to pack."

Friend? Elena felt her forehead crease as she thought about it, Jeremy didn't really have friends. To be honest…they were all dead. "Did he say who?"

Elijah shook his head and that left Elena even more confused. She pulled her phone from her pocket, texted both Damon and Stefan that Jeremy was alright, and then looked back up at Elijah who was watching her with an expression of inquiry. "We should get back to the house, I think." Elena told him, "wait for Jeremy there."

**XXX**

The bedroom that Klaus put Caroline in was massive, much larger than the master bedroom of her own house. The centerpiece of the room was a beautiful canopy bed, with lacy, expensive material flowing down like waterfalls over a queen-size bed with an exquisite comforter that looked handcrafted. There was a large Victorian style vanity, painted a beautiful pearly white and had a matching upholstered seat to go with it. An Antique Settee sat across from the bed, pillows on it for a light pink, almost dusty rose and it matched the wallpaper. A beautiful painting of a field hung on that wall, of lovely pink flowers and a gorgeous white horse grazing in a field. A grandiose window, compete with an upholstered seat to it, looked out over the wooded area that surrounded the house, making for a view that most people could only dream of. "What do you think?" Klaus asked with a broad smile, arms outstretched to the core of the room before walking towards the back of the room and opening the door that she hadn't noticed was there. Was a large walk-in closet with enough shelves and hangers to hold two of her wardrobes.

What did she think about it? It was the bedroom of her dreams. When she was a little girl this is exactly the kind of room that she had envisioned herself in, and now she was here. However the circumstances were quite different than the makings of a childhood mind. "It's very nice." She told him, hoping he didn't catch the almost-quiver in her voice. "Is this a guest bedroom?" The question was a joke but he didn't take it as such.

"It was to be Rebekah's room, but she chose not to stay."

"So now it's mine." She hesitantly took a few steps inside, then pressed her fingers to the soft, down filled comforter on the bed. "Well, if I'm going to be a prisoner, at least the cell looks like this."

"Exactly what I thought." Klaus agreed, looking pleased with the room and himself. "I've already sent for your things."

She wasn't sure whether she should thank him or not, so she didn't. Instead she walked away from the bed to look at the spectacular view out of the window. A moment later, she felt his presence behind her. "Your little act with Stefan? Well played, Caroline." When she didn't respond, partly out of fear and partly because she knew her words wouldn't matter, he continued. "I warn you, though, I'm not easily fooled. I know that whatever it is you're planning? He's going to be directly involved. He and my little doppelgänger"

"I'm glad you were paying attention." She finally responded, not turning around to look at him. "Where is your room?"

"It's the one next to this, of course."

"Of course." It came out as a mutter. "So do I just…stay in here?"

"Where is the adventure in that, Caroline?" He asked cryptically. "I've never been much of a homebody, and I can't imagine you to be such a person either. So no, I will not be locking you away in a tower."

He moved in towards her, crowding her and making her more than a little uncomfortable, she didn't dare step away though. Instead, she hid her discomfort and rose to the challenge by turning and facing him. "So, we'll go out?"

He smiled, not his usual vicious or sarcastic smile, but a genuine one and it almost made him look sweet. Almost. But even beneath a sincere smile, Caroline feared the sinister thoughts lurking beneath that haunting beauty. "Of course," he told her, "where would you like to go?"

"Dancing." She said instinctively, "I want to go to dancing."

"In Spain?" He asked, "I think the Tango would suit us, don't you?"

"We don't have any clubs-"

"No," he shook his head, "you don't. I'm not asking if you want to go to a club, Caroline. I'm asking if you would like to go to Spain. Do you not understand the kind of power we have? The things we can do?"

"You mean the people we can use." She argued with a slight, almost imperceptible, shake of her head. "That's not the kind of life I want to lead."

He chuckled patronizingly, it was the sound a teacher often used when a student said something incredibly naïve or stupid. Caroline could already feel her temper rise and twisted her mouth open to speak but Klaus was already talking; "have you never used your beauty to your advantage, Caroline? Never flirted to get your way?"

"I think that is a little different than taking away someone's free will."

"For something as simple as a plane ticket?" His tone was mocking, "or a pretty dress? Tell me- who is that really hurting?" He spread his arms apart, "how is compulsion tipping the scale anymore worse than a businessman paying a government official to vote a certain way on a law, or a rich man paying off a judge to get off on a charge?"

"It doesn't make it right though." Caroline argued, but she felt a little deflated and knew that her words weren't as passionate as they should be. After all, she wasn't Elena, was she? Caroline didn't have her head in the sand, she knew how the world worked.

"Right and wrong are just words used by man to control other men, Caroline. It's mankind's way of making order out of chaos. Words, ideas, like right and wrong are told to the powerless to _keep_ them powerless." His voice was low and husky and Caroline found herself focusing on them just to hear them. But this focus was blocking out her own thoughts, her own oppositions to his argument. It was almost like he was weaving her into a spell with them, like some strange, intoxicating form of a compulsion. "Tell me, Caroline. Are you powerless?"

She felt powerless. She felt heavy under his gaze…and weak. That must be how he wanted her to feel though, that was how he was used to people feeling in his presence, at the very least. She moistened her lips with her tongue and shook her head, "not all people with power abuse it." She finally told him, somehow managing a haughty tone, though she was confused on how she was mustering that strength. "So no, I'm not powerless. But I'm not evil either."

He raised one quizzical brow, "well then, I guess it's a good thing I'm just asking you to come to Spain with me and not go on a killing spree." He told her jokingly, taking a step back. He gave her a mock bow then started towards the door of her room, he stopped there, back still toward her. "At least wear something nice for dinner tonight."

He slammed the door behind him.

**XXX**

The second that Jeremy was in the door, Elena was in his arms, telling him how much she missed him and that it was so good to see him. She chided him for his disappearing act but it wasn't at all severe and Elijah knew that she wasn't really angry.

From over her shoulder Jeremy's eyes met with his and he mouthed the words "I'm sorry." Elijah gave him an understanding nod because he was too happy to see him to be angry. There had been a deep worry inside him that something had gone terribly wrong and that Jeremy was in some kind of trouble. He still couldn't shake it, even with Jeremy right there in front of him.

Stefan and Damon had yet to come back to the house, but Elena had texted them and let them know that Jeremy was safe so it was only a matter of time before they arrived. Elijah decided that before they returned preparations should be made for a nice evening, as he wanted the reunion between Jeremy and Elena to be special. So he took some time to pop some popcorn, set up the surround sound, and order a pizza. Elena had already picked the movie is so all that was left was to wait for a leader to stop grilling Jeremy about the friend that he was helping.

"I don't remember any friend, Jeremy."

"You didn't know everybody that I talked to." Jeremy argued crossly, "I did have friends you know, before mom and dad died."

They are both quiet and that, and Elijah was left to wonder if they ever talked about their parents. From the way it seemed, they did not. It was hard to lose a parent, when his mother died it had taken Rebekah and Klaus to help him through it. Of course, that seemed almost funny now that she knew Klaus and killed her mother, only for her to be resurrected and on a mission to kill he and his siblings. That seems surreal. Even after all of this time of being alive, things could still surprise him and upset him. "Then why won't you tell me who it is?" Elena demanded.

"What does it matter?" Was Jeremy's non-answer; "I told her that I would keep the secret, I truly meant that and I'm not breaking that promise."

She looked from Jeremy then to Elijah, and he tried to give her his best pleading look because he wanted to have the movie night too. He wanted to show Elena another side of him, the side that Jeremy brought out and the side that she could probably see herself trusting eventually. She shrugged, "all right that Jeremy."

"How is Ric?" He asked suddenly, worrying his lower lip and twisting the ring on his finger. "Actually, where is Ric?"

Elena glanced nervously at Elijah, and he heard her heart speed up. There was something going on there, something she didn't want him to know. He smiled, then said very politely; "I could really use a drink, perhaps I'll make a cameo at the wines and spirits store and buy an expensive bottle of bourbon. You to drop mind, do you?"

Elena shook her head, "no, no go on. We can wait."

He gave both a nod that he was out the door walking leisurely down the street, he was unsurprised when Damon appeared in front of him, postured in a way that screamed out Alpha male. "Hello." Elijah greeted with the ghost of a smile, "can I help you with something?"

"Leaving town." Damon responded icily, his eyes gave him a once over and his trademark smirk was glued onto his face. "You know, before you kidnap Elena and make us kill her friend's mother again."

"She's not dead, now shall live forever."

The two vampires stared at each other, and Elijah felt that the whole situation was absurd. Damon standing in judgment of anybody was highly amusing, she would've done the same thing if their situations had been reversed. "Bonnie wouldn't agree."

"Bonnie isn't the one standing in front of me."

"You being here directly puts Elena in danger."

"How is that?" Elijah questioned, not even bothering to hide the mocking tone. "She is in danger at all times, she's the doppelgänger." Was Elijah's counter, and he gave Damon and appraising look to follow it up. "Do you think you alone to protect her? You think that you have this all under control? It's not just Klaus who's here, it's Rebekah, and it's Kol."

Damon snorted, "so I should trust you?"

Elijah shrugged, he knew that he was never going to be able to convince Damon of his intentions, pure they were and so he wasn't even going to try. "Why don't you just go back to the house, Elena is there with her brother. I'm sure she can fill you in on everything."

"Maybe you should be checking on your brother and sister, it looks like they've made for the home for themselves at the Lockwood mansion. If you're really on our side, maybe find out what they are up to."

"I would," Elijah felt the corners of his lips start to raise, "but I have plans with Elena and Jeremy, so it will have to wait."

**XXX**

Stefan didn't want to go see Elena, the so he texted her a response stating that he was happy Jeremy had been returned to her instead of telling her in person. He went home to his mansion, prepared to write about his day's journey with in his journal. As he opened the door, he stopped short and stared down at the floor of his foyer, utterly dismayed.

There on the ground, were three young girls sprawled out dead and covered in their own blood. They look to be no older than 19, and they were pretty even in death. From the look of the clothing, they were from affluent families and they're perfectly manicured nails, salon styled hair and expensive smelling perfume attested to their money as well. These three girls may have very well had great lives and yet they were on the floor of his mansion, all of their possibility snuffed out. How many lives had he himself ended in such a way? He did not kill these women but he felt the guilt as though he were their murderer. He swallowed, fought back the urge to lap the red liquid up like a dog and staggered backwards almost out of the door.

And as he stepped back he realized that he had been walking in the blood, smearing a message that was written in large letters.

RETURN HER TO ME.

**Note from author: if there is any character you want to see more/less of, let me know. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Lilylulurose: **From the moment Klaus did not dagger Elijah because he would have to wake Kol up? I decided that Kol was a psycho who even scared Klaus, lol. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Kol in this story, especially when it comes to him with his family! You'll see why he sent that message to the Salvatores. He's a tricky little psycho haha. I'm so glad you're still enjoying the story!

**Sweetwater Gal: ** Thanks! I wanted to build something that felt organic and not "insta-romance" for both of the main pairings in this story. Mainly because I think the couples deserve and can maintain a slow build because they are so layered and interesting.

I lovedlovedloved the Stefan/Caroline friendship. I was so angry when they stopped sharing scenes, because I think that their bond was unique and interesting. Maybe the show was afraid of their chem or something? Expect more for them in this though, because I do think they have a great relationship.

E&E won't have the easiest relationship in this, especially at the beginning. There will be some steps forward and back, I hope it doesn't get too frustrating! I haven't even touched the fact that Elena was willing to let Elijah die and he should have some resentment about that yet. Yikes! LOL!

The Jeremy and Elijah relationship will be integral to E&E.

I didn't realize people thought of Kol and Beks as incesty. They seem like brother and sister to me, you know the regular kind (or as regular as vampires can be lol). Well, they will continue to be written in the way they were in this chapter! So glad you liked them! :)

Thanks again! I really, really appreciate it! My updates will definitely be more frequent now!

**DammitimmaD: **Thanks!I'm gladyou're intrigued!

**Belleserenite**: Thanks so much! I really like the characters so I am glad I am doing them justice. Updates soon!

**UrieNanashi: **More on it's way! Thanks so much! I've got some time off, so I plan on combing through Some E&E fics. If you have a recommendation, please let me know! There will definitely be more Elijah! There can never be enough!

I like that idea, and I will definitely keep it in mind while writing! Thanks for the suggestion.

**Klauslove**: I'm glad! I enjoy writing them! Thanks!

**Alauralen**: Thanks so much! I hope you continue enjoying it! More coming soon!

**Hey ladies and gents!** This is another really long chapter. I just needed a lot to happen so that we can get the story moving, I realize it's been a little slow.

Also, I have an OC in this chapter. I don't normally enjoy writing OCs but this one couldn't be avoided. She serves a plot purpose, plus I'm not the biggest fan of Meredith, so just consider her a Meredith replacement, please.

**Chapter Three: A Family Matter**

"Return who? Elena?" Damon asked as he stared at the bodies as though they were nothing more than a stain on the rug that was going to be difficult to get out before company came. "Is this Klaus' handiwork?"

Stefan bit his lower lip and had no conclusive answer for his brother, other than, "maybe. But right now he has his hands full with Caroline, so I actually doubt it."

He gave a look as though he smelled something truly rank, "did Vampire Barbie switch sides?"

"No." Stefan answered more quickly than he would have liked. He, at least, didn't think she had. Caroline could be selfish and self-absorbed, but at the end of the day he knew she was a good person, not the kind that switched sides just because she wanted to. He imagined that the situation was similar to her spying for Katherine- she was doing it to protect someone.

"So return who?" Damon asked again, "if it isn't Klaus about Elena- then who the hell sent this and who do they want us to return exactly?"

Stefan frowned, and shook his head. "I really don't know, Damon."

His brother looked pensive for a moment, opened his mouth to speak, snapped it shut and then tilted his head to the side. "I, um, actually might have a clue."

"To who she is?" Stefan asked in surprise.

Damon shook his head, "to who we're supposed to return her to." A grimace followed, then he said; "let's get rid of the bodies and deal with it."

**XXX**

Elijah tossed the popcorn in the air, aiming carefully, and Jeremy stood below it until catching it with his mouth. They had finally accomplished their goal, as the movie _Dracula_ played in the background. These kind of casual, relaxed evenings, had been brought on by Jeremy. In all of Elijah's lifetime, he had been very proper and never understood what people found appealing about a lack of manners and propriety. Then Jeremy had come along and things had changed. The first night that they had a "movie night." Elijah had been stiff and uncomfortable, but by the end of the evening, after a dozen jabs from Jeremy about having a stick up his ass, he had finally relaxed and actually enjoyed eating messy pizza, drinking heavily and making fun of contemporary film.

Now, for Jeremy and Elijah, this was now a normal night for them. They had done this often and repeatedly, but Elijah could tell that normal situations like this had long since been lost as a part of Elena's routine. However, she was enjoying it now and her beautiful laughter rang out like bells through the living room. "If anybody told me that _this_ was how you had fun, Elijah? I wouldn't have believed them." She gasped out after one of Jeremy's ridiculous impersonations of Dracula. "I figured your type of fun only came in ballrooms."

"It did." Jeremy complained and made a face, "I don't think this guy even lived until he met me."

Elijah poured himself and Elena another drink, then eyed Jeremy's empty glass and shook his head. "There is something to be said for galas and balls, Jeremy. However, I also enjoy art shows, operas, sailing and a myriad of other activities." But then he smiled at his young friend and added, "Yet…there is something charming and fun about night like tonight."

"They're easy," Elena supplied, taking a drink from her glass and casting a look at her brother who was holding his empty glass upside down in a silent plea for more. "There is no binding dress, no fake manners, just pizza, a ridiculous movie and sloppy fun."

"Yes," he decided, "that is it." He gave in and refilled Jeremy's glass. "I enjoy sailing for the same reason, it is relaxing and there is an easiness on the water that doesn't exist on land. Perhaps I should take you both sailing soon." He offered looking from the brother to the sister than back again, "I think you would enjoy it as much as I do."

"Sounds good." Jeremy told him, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth and then looking to a slightly startled Elena. He wondered why she looked so startled, was it the offer- or something else? Jeremy went on, diffusing any kind of tension that would have been in the room. "Remember when mom and dad left us alone, and they went sailing? They came back so happy, almost like they were coming back from their honeymoon or something."

Elena broke down to smile at the memory, "we told them like a thousand times that they needed to get a room but they never listened." She shook her head and sighed, "they were so in love. We were so lucky to seen that, you know? Because now we know the difference. We know what real love is."

"Yeah." Jeremy agreed and settled back into his chair, he glanced at Elijah, "I told you that, remember? That I knew what real love looked like."

Elijah nodded, suddenly very uncomfortable. "Yes you did." This was not something that he really wanted to talk about, because in truth the whole conversation had been brought up because he was having trouble figuring out how he felt about Elena. Not that either of the Gilberts knew that, but he still wanted to change the subject. He wanted his mood to be as relaxed as theirs, and so he smiled easily and said; "you know we haven't really been paying attention to Elena's movie at all, how rude of us."

She laughed, "it was a joke anyway, I didn't seriously want to watch _Dracula. _I was making fun of you."

His laughter matched hers, and he threw a piece of popcorn at her, only for her to return it right to him. "Then perhaps our next movie should be about Helen of Troy, hm?" He asked with a smirk and a feigned bow.

She rolled her eyes and threw another corn at him.

**XXX**

Klaus prepared a feast. While vampires didn't need food, the taste of it was still something to be enjoyed and as long as they were healthy, they could eat like a human could eat. Waving away the servants who had prepared and served the meal, Klaus swirled the bourbon in his cup and smiled at the work of art.

Yes, even his food had to be beautiful.

There were plates of different dishes of all different cultures and varieties, prepared by Mystic Falls own gourmet chef. Thanks to a little compulsion and some palm greasing, Klaus had hired the five-star hotel's renowned chef to create his meal for the evening. From his place beside the table, it was well worth it.

He snapped his finger, ordered the string quartet in, also from the nearby hotel, and then waited, patiently, for Caroline to descend the stairs.

When she did not, he felt irritation grow inside him. After all, he had taken great pains to make the evening beyond her standards, hoping to impress upon her the world that she was missing.

Irritated, he started up the stairs, then knocked loudly on her door until he heard stirring in her room. When she didn't answer, he opened the door himself to find her on the bed, flipping through some magazine and not looking up at him. "I take it you're not coming down for supper."

"I'm not in the mood.'

He looked down, gave sardonic smile and a half chuckle, and then said: "what, pray tell, are you in the mood for Caroline?"

"I told you, dancing." Still she did not look up at him, and took some posturing to conceal his displeasure. He was, after all, used to people obeyed him and she never did. Funny how that was the most irritating aspect of her personality and yet the most endearing at the same time. "Besides, what good are your fancy dinners when we are the only two there to enjoy them?" She tossed the magazine to the side, and finally looked up at him defiantly.

"Would you have me invite guests?" He asked, "and who would you have me invite? My family? Yours?"

"Would the even come?" She spat back at him. "I can't think of anyone who would."

"You're lonely." He realized it out loud instead of quietly in his mind, loneliness was something he understood all too well. "You may invite Stefan, he will show up, if for no other reason than to make sure you're okay. You are welcome to invite Elena too, if you so choose."

She stared back at him, and he had expected gratitude but instead her gaze steady with anger. "What exactly is it that you want?"

She gracefully got out of the bed, took three steps until she was directly in front of them and then said scathingly; "your head on a stick so that I am certain the people I love are safe."

With that she breezed past him towards the stairs and descended them to the meal he had his servants working on to impress her. He followed, amused by her outburst and frustrated at the same time. She motioned to the food and turned to him. "What does any of this matter, Klaus? You can have all the most beautiful things in the world, but if there is no one here to look at them, you might as well be sitting in an empty room."

"I am not in an empty room, Caroline. You're here."

"A hostage?" She asked waspishly, "and if not me, someone you've compelled? Bribed? Blackmailed?" She ticked the fingers off as she spoke, fire in every word and every look. She was like the sun, vibrant and hot- with each sentence she angered him and with that anger came a desire that shocked and infuriated him. "There is no one who would be here because of loyalty to you, Klaus- and you know why?"

"I'm sure you're about to tell me, love." He returned just as heatedly.

"Because you don't show loyalty to anyone else, that's why. You're only alone because you want power more than anything. You think that power will bring people to you, but apparently living a thousand years has taught you nothing. Hell, it only took me three years of high school and two of the most stubborn friends on the planet to teach me that."

"Hold your tongue." He snapped out the command as though he were royalty and knew very well how he sounded. It didn't matter. His frustration and temper now controlled his lips and what they spat out. Her implication of his stupidity was more than enough to drive him over the edge. "You act like you know every inch of me, little girl, like you have read the story of my life. You would do better not to make childish assumptions. You can eat alone. I'm going out."

**XXX**

"_Go. Run. They'll find you." _

Her words rang clearly in Kol's head as he meandered through the garden looking for Rebekah. The vision of a clearing with dead animal carcasses, ripped apart like an animal had done it, was clearer in front of him than the beautiful, meticulously cared for roses that the Lockwood's gardener doted over. He could even smell blood instead of their sweet fragrance; the memory was simply that potent.

He had been only eleven at the time, she had been six…it had been the first time he had seen her, or even known of her…

"_They are coming, they'll find you. Don't you hear them? Run. Run or she'll know and you'll never return." _

"_You want me to return?" _

"_You must."_

"Penny for your thoughts, Kol. I mean, they must have been something for you not to hear me approaching."

He looked up to see the vampires that he had been expecting. Damon and Stefan were staring at him. They stood in the same fashion, though Damon's stance seemed lazier than his brother's. From the way they were beside each other, Kol could almost imagine Klaus and Elijah in their place. He found it amusing how alike the pairs of siblings were- right down to their idiotic love for the same woman. "I was thinking of someone who matters. You can imagine my displeasure at being interrupted by two who don't."

Damon smirked but Stefan's face remained impassive. It was the older brother who spoke. "So who is it exactly that you want us to return to you?"

Kol faked a perplexed look, "I'm not sure what you mean."

"The message you left us? Thanks, by the way. That was a really expensive rug."

Tilting his head to the side, Kol brought his brows together and did not let any emotion besides confusion pass through his face. He knew what they were talking about, of course. He had left them those three bodies to bring them out, to provoke them so he could find out if Anna had run to the idiot Salvatore brothers. She may have, since she had been close to the Gilbert boy- an idea that did not sit well with him at all. "You're not making sense. Stefan, has your brother lost his mind?"

"No, but word is that you have." Stefan retorted, "so we figure you're just crazy enough to murder three girls and leave them in our house with a message in blood."

"So ideas are coming together in a way that conveys meaning now, bravo. So let me understand- three girls were killed, left on an expensive rug, I assume in your home, with a message in blood and you both believe I did it? Due to one of my sibling's musings on me, no doubt." He strung about their words careful to betray no details they had not mentioned, as to not give away that he was, indeed, the culprit. Interesting, they came to him because of rumors that he was mad. That led him to the conclusion that they did not have Anna. Whether or not they were leading him to this conclusion on purpose remained to be seen. As their silence stretched on, he shrugged, "you've come to the wrong place, I'm afraid. It's a dead end here."

Stefan took an angry step forward. He was Elijah all over really, only younger, dumber and more volatile. "You can't just go killing girls."

"I can." Kol contradicted, "But I didn't. You may try my brother, Klaus."

"It wasn't Klaus." Damon responded.

Kol raised a brow, "so sure of that, are you?" They exchanged a brief glance at each other and Kol took the moment to surprise them. "Would you care for a late night snack? Perhaps the three of us can find some common ground? I believe we have a very common enemy."

"And who would that be?" Stefan wanted to know.

"Klaus, of course."

"The two of you seemed pretty chummy the last time you were in town." Damon pointed out and Kol was glad of it. He didn't want his soon-to-be-useful vampires to be complete imbeciles. That would not suit him, or his purposes, at all. "An d he _isn't_ the one leaving us presents."

Kol chuckled, "fine then, mates. Think what you want, alright? But unless you want to talk business, I suggest you go elsewhere. You'll find nothing else here."

**XXX**

"Would you like to go for a walk?"

Elena looked over at her little brother, asleep on the easy chair by the couch. In answer to Elijah's question she just nodded, then quietly stood and made her way to the door. She knew that Elijah was following her, despite the fact that she could not hear his silent footsteps. In the long time since vampires had entered her life, she had grown used to the quiet ways in which they moved.

They stepped into the night air and Elena found herself breathing it in and appreciating it. "I do love Virginia." She told Elijah with a smile, "but my mother and father always encouraged me to go see the world. They wanted me to know what it was like."

"The world has a lot of beauty in it, Elena." Elijah concurred, "I think your parents were right to want that for you."

"Yeah. But I always thought that I would be seeing that world with them; after they were gone I didn't give it much thought anymore. I closed the world out and it was Stefan who brought the world back to me. Did you know he saved my life?" Elijah shook his head, had Elena not been looking at him briefly she would not have even known he answered. "He did. Then he stuck around, because of who I looked like."

Elijah said nothing at this, and Elena imagined it was because he had known both Katherine and the first woman who held their face- Tatia. Elena believed Damon had said that was her name, anyway. The thought of Tatia of sparked curiosity in Elena. "I don't mean to sound racist, but when you came to Virginia 1000 years ago, there were people here already, right? Natives? How is it that I look like Tatia, when yours was the only family that would not have been Native American? Sage? She didn't look Viking, nor Native American either, come to think of it."

Elijah looked thoughtful, he glanced at her as they slowed their pace down the sidewalk. "It wasn't just my parents on that boat; there were different people. People that they conquered along the way, or slaves they already owned. They gave some of them their freedom, or at least that was what mother said. Others they sold to the natives that were here, so that we could have a peaceful life."

It was hard to think of Elijah owning a slave, then she quickly stopped that line of thinking. He proved to be just as violent as the other vampires, so why should she be surprised that he owned a slave? _Keep your head, Elena. _She warned herself of this, afraid that the ease of which she spoke to Elijah was whitewashing his past and lulling her into a false sense of security. It was so easy though, to be out there with him in the empty night and not think about the violence that stirred beneath his serene visage. "And Tatia?"

"Her parents had been my father's slaves." He answered with a frown, "that is in part why my parents did not approve. I wanted to marry her, slaves weren't for marrying. You could certainly use them in any other way you wished, that was normal back then, but to marry one? No. Besides marriage for love was not an option."

"How sad." Elena commented, feeling sympathy for her walking companion because of the sorrowful tone in which he spoke. She heard longing there and that was something she could understand. He had the features of the statue, strong, stark and still. He was a handsome man, not in a way that either Stefan and Damon were handsome. She noted the differences right away, since they seem to be her basis of comparison for beauty since she had met them. His was a different kind of handsome, a composed, polite kind of handsome, and when she looked at him she thought of the princes in fairytales. "Did you ever find love?"

He stopped walking altogether, and gave her very curious look. "I did. She was a witch and inevitably chose mortality over me." A pause, "I'm being unkind, she chose more than mortality, she chose her kinship to nature and I think that was fair." The brittle tone in his voice, targeted her heart strings and she gave him a smile which encouraged him to go on. "I loved her for as long as I could, as long as she allowed. When she sent me away, I went. It was my last gift to her."

The compassion she felt for him was already beginning to threaten her lack of trust in him. She decided a subject change was necessary, if for no other reason than to protect herself. "Do you think Jeremy is safe?"

"We're still within a distance that I could hear if he wasn't. We won't go too far." He promised, "I'm proud of him for coming back to help his friend, it speaks volumes of the people who raised him."

"My parents were good people."

"It shows. In both of you."

"I wonder about that sometimes," she acknowledged, her manner as sober as she felt, "have I done right by my friends? My family? Have I made the right choices?"

They were still stopped in the road, the lonely night as a backdrop, looking at each other until she realized the intimacy of the situation. She looked away from him, uncomfortable and warm and when she looked back she wondered if he noticed as well. . "You are one of the best people I've ever met." Elijah whispered earnestly. "I'm sure that sometimes you make wrong decisions, but that's okay. You just have to realize everyone makes mistakes, and learn from them." He laughed then, "unlike myself and my family, it seems."

"You miss them." She recognized out loud.

"Of course, Elena. They were my family. They mean more to me than even myself. Should there be a way for me to help them- even Klaus- find their way again. I would do it. We're not unalike in that regard."

"You're right." She sighed and shook her head, "why don't you go to Rebekah then, Elijah? Try and speak to her. Maybe your influence will do her some good."

It was his turn to sigh, "I wish that it would but she is with Kol now. He and I have never quite seen eye to eye, even when we were mortals. Truth be told, the lot of us were afraid of him, even when he was a child. Rebekah held some regard for him, but she's the most forgiving out of all of us."

Elena believed that. Rebekah may hate her, but she had seemed to forgive Klaus of quite a lot. What Elena did not believe, however, was that Elijah should give up on his sister. "Try anyway, Elijah." She encouraged.

He shook his head, "but then she'll know I'm here, we'll lose our edge."

"Elijah." She said patiently, meeting his eyes with hers. "Go to your sister. Please."

His nod of ascent was so small, she thought maybe she had imagined it.

**XXX**

Veronica Fell was a small blonde girl who apparently didn't want to be blonde. She had dyed the front of her hair a bright pink and frizzed it out so that it was over one eye. She wore a black, off the shoulder shirt that showed a neon pink bra strap and a pair of ripped up black leggings. Her full lips were covered in colorless gloss but her eyes had such thick liner framing her eyes, that were the color of a muted emeralds. Around those were thick framed glasses and the only thing bigger than those were the giant hoop earrings that hung from her lobes.

She preferred to be called Ronnie.

Anna had liked her right from the start. She spoke quickly, almost feverishly and with excitement. Immediately, Anna had deduced two things- that she knew all about vampires, witches and werewolves but until that very moment, had not ever met one- that she was aware of anyway. Her last name was Fell, which matched the name of one of the founding families, from Jeremy had told her. She, apparently, was privy to the council's secrets it seemed.

Jeremy had brought Anna to her rather large estate, because no one would look for Anna there and because Ronnie's parents, apparently, were rarely in town. Before even entering the building, Jeremy made sure that Ronnie knew the dangers involved, knew who Anna was and who was after her. The girl still readily accepted her as a guest, much to Anna's shock and curiosity. Jeremy had left soon after and Ronnie had ensured that Anna had some clothing and shown her around the house. She was given leave to shower then and immediately did, then laid down in the guest room and waited for sleep that never came.

Having heard the stirring of the girl outside the guest bedroom, Anna got up out of bed and followed the noises. She knocked lightly on the door that they came from, then again at no answer. "Oh shit, sorry. Come on in, Anna!"

"Thanks."

She was glued to her computer, typing furiously to the background music of angry guitars and screaming vocalist. The room she sat in was colorful, with splashes of different colored paints on the wall, like someone just tossed around buckets of the stuff and posters of all kinds randomly placed on the wall. The carpeting was black and shaggy, curling itself in Anna's toes as she walked towards her. "What are you up to?"

"I'm creating an identity for you." She said with a sweet smile, "and I'm syphoning money out of my idiot parent's account so that you can have some start up money. Maybe buy some better clothes. Here, have a seat on my bed. It will just take a few more minutes. This is easy as pie and I know a guy who can make you a social security card and an ID."

"Wow." Anna was truly amazed. "You're being awfully nice to someone you just met."

She whirled around in her swivel chair, "well, it sucks to be you right now, right? I mean, no memories, possibly being sought out by a super strong evil vampire family? I figured, hey, we can't have her only having bad luck, right?"

Anna laughed a little, "Well, I can't argue with your logic. I mean, nothing is coming up me right now, you know?"

"Story of my life." She sighed, turned back to the computer and started typing again. "So what's it like? Not remembering anything?"

"Strange. Like I'm in a dream. I remember how to speak, I remember what things are. I remember how to function, you know? But I don't have solid memories of my life. I can't see any faces or hear any voices. I don't know who I am." Anna leaned back on her elbows and looked up at the blotchy ceiling. More paint splashes over white; pink, blue, green, orange, red, purple… "Maybe I don't even want to remember. From what I've heard…that life kind of sucked too."

"But you had Jeremy."

Anna heard the catch in her voice, then sat back up to look at the girl. "He said that you didn't start talking again until he figured out what I was…and he met you in a vampire chat room."

"Yup." Ronnie answered simply, "I knew it was him because I hacked his computer."

Anna leaned back again, kept her gaze away from her. "You should really hate me, you know."

"I know." A sigh followed, "but I was homeschooled, so I don't have the socialization process down that is necessary to hate female rivals. I guess it _is_ important to send your kids to the brainwashing factory- I mean…high school, after all." She said it all in one quick breath. It was hard to keep up with how she spoke, but Anna managed. "Anyway, how did you know? That I liked him, I mean."

"You didn't do all this for me." Anna answered, "how long have you liked him?"

"Since we were ten. The other kids picked on me, he didn't. He stood up for me." She swiveled around as Anna looked up to see her face. She really was a lovely looking girl, with full lips and a symmetrical nose. Jeremy would probably draw a pretty picture of her, or he would if he had feelings for her too. "These two boys were throwing rocks at me and he stopped them. He got beat up for it. After that my parents took me out of school.'

"It's a good reason to fall for someone." Anna decided, "has it always been him?"

"Well…him and Batman. I'm beginning to think I have more of a chance with Bats though. I mean- how the hell can I compete with a petite, beautiful, Asian female vampire? It's like you walked out of some male-fantasy computer program or something."

Anna stood up, crossed the room and took the girl's chin in the crook of her hand between her thumb and forefinger. "You're beautiful Veronica Fell." The girl's breath caught, her lips opening ever so slightly as her face was tilted upwards. Anna examined her face, eyes dropping to her lips than back up to the eyes. With her free hand she took her glasses and placed them on the desk behind her. "Tell me that you're beautiful."

"I'm beautiful." She said softly, hesitantly, the feverish excitement in her voice gone.

"You still don't believe it. That's why he doesn't see it, you know." Anna furrowed her brow, "May I compel you to believe it?"

She swallowed hard, "you can do that?"

"I think. Jeremy said I can. I'm sure I'll remember it if I try."

Her tongue moistened her lips, "No. If he doesn't like me for me…it's not really worth anything, is it?"

Anna dropped her hand and moved back to the bed, "you would be better for him, Ronnie."

"Probably," she laughed, "but it isn't me he wants. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin things with my very first sleep-over guest ever, right? At least, not before we braid each other's hair and watch 'the Notebook.'"

"The what?"

"Oh….prepare to sob, my friend. Prepare. To. Sob."

**XXX**

_Still safe. No progress yet._

Caroline quickly deleted the text from Bonnie and sat down alone in her gilded prison, silently kicking herself for the outburst against Klaus. She knew that she needed to seduce him, not anger and infuriate him, but she was so angry herself that it didn't seem to matter.

She missed her mother. She missed her friends. She missed _Tyler. _

But of course, none of this could be confessed to Klaus. She needed him to believe that she was strong and vibrant. Her weakness couldn't show and that translated into uber bitch mode, which was not going to get her what she wanted at all.

She needed to figure out a believable way for him to think she had fallen under his spell. But how? After the debacle that just occurred she had to play it safe. He wouldn't believe she went from hating him to wanting him. Also, she wasn't really hip to the idea of seducing him…that meant sex and, quite frankly, she felt like that would be cheating on Tyler…even though they weren't even really together.

"Damn."

She said it out loud to the dinner table.

What the hell was she going to do?

Sighing, she slumped back in the chair and made a face, how was she going to undo the mess her temper had made? She couldn't apologize, after all, Klaus didn't want a weak woman. He wanted someone resilient, someone who challenged him- or at least that was what it seemed like so far. She wanted to throttle him and he knew it- so how did she get him to start believing she had gone from _that_ to hanging on his every word with no apology on top of it?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, she rose to go get it but a woman in a very traditional looking maid outfit beat her to it. She heard Elena's voice ring out through the room, "I need to see Caroline."

Before the maid could respond, Caroline was at the door and hugging her friend tightly. It felt good to be in someone's arms, to be around someone she actually _liked_. She was surprised at just how much she missed it. "Thank God you're okay." Elena whispered into her ear, "I've been worried sick."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Caroline said back, pulling Elena in and shutting the door behind her. "Come on, let's go find somewhere we can talk." She hoped Elena followed the brief eye roll towards the maid, whom she knew would just report everything back to Klaus.

Elena nodded in understanding, and allowed Caroline to lead her toward the spiral staircase to the upper floor of the mansion. "How is everything? Have you talked to Bonnie?" She asked as she shut the door to her bedroom and immediately turned on some music for privacy. Her favorite Gym Class Heroes song came on and she sat down on the bed, motioning for Elena to join her.

Elena sat in front and sighed, "I don't know, I got a text saying she's okay, but that is all. I tried to call but she's not answering."

"Same." Caroline replied with a sigh. "How about you? Are you alright?"

Elena nodded, "yeah, now I am. Jeremy went missing for a little while- I never would have known but Elijah showed up and told me. Apparently he and Jer have gotten close."

"Weird." Caroline said and made a face, "how did that happen?"

"Elijah said that he wanted to make up for some of the misery he caused, so he's been, I don't know, training Jeremy or something. Anyway, it is weird. Everything is always weird."

"Tell me about it." Caroline agreed.

Elena's brown were troubled and she took Caroline hands in hers, "tell me you'll leave here with me, Care. Tell me that we can just walk out of here together."

She had been waiting for her friend to say something like that, and so her answer left her lips without her even thinking about it. "I can't. I've ensured the safety of my mom, of Tyler, of all of you guys. All I have to do is-"

"Be Klaus' slave." Elena finished in interruption, "It isn't worth it. Care, reconsider, please. He's volatile and only predictable in the sense that we know he's got a violent temper. This is incredibly dangerous. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

Caroline let out a small breath, then stood up and walked over to the window. "He can't be stopped Elena, not until one of us figures out a way. None of us will do that without some insider information. So, yeah, it will be worth it if I get us some useful information." She turned back to Elena and looked reproachful, "can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't do the exact same thing I am doing?" The pause and expression of guilt from Elena was all Caroline needed to continue. "I can do this, Elena. Can't you just believe in me?"

She moistened her lips then nodded. "Okay, look. I believe in you. I do. I know that if anyone can pull this off, it's you. I just need you to promise me you won't take unnecessary risks and that you'll check in with me so I know you're okay."

"Done and done." Caroline said in the cheerful way she usually spoke after getting her way, "Now you promise me something."

"What is that?"

"That you don't trust Elijah- remember what you did to him. You agreed to let his whole family get killed. That isn't something someone just forgets."

Elena nodded and looked a little sheepish, "okay. Yes. Thanks. I needed that reminder."

Caroline found herself smiling at her friend, an idea already formulating in her mind. It helped to be around someone she was comfortable with and allowed her calculating mind to actually work without the tension of Klaus hanging over her. Elena was smiling back and Caroline found that hopeful too. She bent down and hugged her friend, "we'll get through this, Elena. We always do."

"We always do." She agreed. "So what are you going to do? I mean, how are you going to bleed information about Klaus out?"

Caroline pulled her phone out and started typing.

_Fake fall for Klaus. You know? Like pretend to be in love with him…I think I'll start by falling for some sob story- I just need him to give me the sob story._

Elena's eyes scanned over the words then she erased them and started typing her own in to the iphone. _Well he's really into you, so it shouldn't be hard to get him to open up._

Caroline nodded with a small smile, then started typing her final thoughts on the matter. _Plus, he's arrogant enough to believe it all, I think. Then, hopefully, I can get the information I need._

Elena's brow furrowed for a second, then she snatched the phone and typed very quickly, _and Tyler?_

Caroline felt a stab go through her heart. She loved Tyler- but not enough to sacrifice everyone else. Guilt kept her from answering though, and she just shook her head.

"I get it." Elena responded, nodding solemnly. "Oh Care, I'm so sorry."

"Me too." Was her reply, "me too."

**XXX**

Klaus stood outside the Lockwood estate, then began to walk away from it, only to find himself face to face with Rebekah, who looked none-too-pleased to see him. She stood before him, looking so different than they had as humans, when her style of dress was more modest and she wore no make-up on her face. He wondered how he looked to her, if the taint of his killing their mother had forever changed him in her eyes.

Her yellow locks were piled up in a loose bun and the dress she wore was more skin than red material. "Why are you here?"

"I came to see you."

"Then you're wasting your time. However, if you'd like to see Kol he's out in the back. You know how he loves plant-life."

He chuckled, "and how is your alliance going with him?"

"It's not an alliance. He's my brother." She said severely. "We're putting together the family that you kept throwing away, Niklaus."

"He's a psychopath, Rebekah. Sure, he doesn't seem so, I know that. He's often charming and beyond cunning, but you remember how he was, you remember _why_ I had to put him down, don't you? Would you like a replay of that?"

She eyed him evenly, a smug, arrogant smile that was not unlike his own touched her lips. "And why did you have to put me down, Niklaus? Am I a psychopath too?"

"No. I put you in that coffin so that you could be alive later." Klaus spat out honestly, "don't you understand that, sister? Do you not see that if you had stayed with Stefan Mikael would have found you and turned you to dust?" He took a step toward his sister and reached toward her, "why don't you get that?"

She looked away from him and he could tell that his words hit the mark that they had meant to hit. "We have our spats, sis, we do- but we're us. We always make-up."

"You mean I always forgive you." She corrected with soft bitterness, "and then take my place at your heel."

"No," he began, all of Caroline's words coming flooding back to him. But his denial of Caroline's accusations only strengthened his resolve that what Rebekah said was wrong. "Not at my heel, love. That's not how I saw it at all."

"But that's how it was." She told him, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with a sense of sadness that almost overcame him. "You made all the decisions, not just for me, but for Elijah as well. Anytime either of us went against you…well, that was the end of it. Your way or no way, right?"

"Your my baby sister, it was my job to take care of you and it always has been." He insisted, "and Elijah- our situation was entirely different. He was only enamored with Katherine because of her resemblance to Tatia. I knew he'd never see that."

"You protected, you knew, you. You. You." Rebekah parroted back at him with a toss of her head an eye roll. "Tell me, Klaus, when did you ever ask us our opinion, or take it into account? You're not always right- history can attest to that, can't it? And why did you not give us all the information, like, oh, I don't know…that you ripped our mother's heart out?"

There it was. The whopping lie that ruined everything. He wanted to explain to Rebekah what it had been like, staring into their mother's eyes and seeing nothing but contempt there. He had taken a life and it had turned him into a reminder of her own affair. He raged, he had raged so hard that he barely remembered the event itself, only the corpse that remained and the heart in his hand. The actual event itself was gone. "If I had told you that, you would have turned on me. You both would have left me."

"You never gave us the chance, Niklaus. Maybe, if you explained it, maybe if we had known, we would have stood by you. Instead you were too busy making our decisions, doling out our punishments and taking charge to consider us at all."

A slow clap caused Klaus to turn around and there, to his surprise, stood Elijah. He was wearing his usual dark jacket and slacks, but he looked more relaxed than usual. There was something very unElijah-like about him. "Nicely put, fair sister."

He turned back to see her smile. "Glad you approve. What brings you here?"

"I was worried for you. Word has it that you were with Kol, I just thought I'd check up. Is he behaving?"

Rebekah bit her lower lip, "we're working on something. I wouldn't worry."

"When Kol is involved all we can do is worry." Klaus remarked flippantly. 

"As opposed to your involvement always coming up roses?" Elijah question in a thick voice and the brothers faced each other. "However, he is right on one mark. Kol is dangerous, Rebekah and, honestly, even more unstable than Niklaus. You know this."

Klaus, satisfied that Elijah agreed with him for once looked to his sister, "you see? We're in accord on the matter."

All three turned to the door as it opened and Kol stepped out, he smiled daringly at the sight in front of them, then stepped aside as Stefan and Damon Salvatore emerged from behind him. "I wasn't aware that we'd have quite so many guests, Beks. If I had known I would have dressed for company."

"So much for the element of surprise," Klaus heard an annoyed Damon mutter. "you know, this looks like a family matter, so why don't my brother and I just leave this party fashionably early." He jauntily started descending the steps.

"Not before I ask them." Stefan put in.

Klaus heard Damon hiss, "so close" before turning around in an exaggerated manner. "Well, ask away so we can get this show on the road, little brother."

"Which one of you left us the bodies of three young girls in our home?"

Klaus saw Rebekah glance warily at Kol, who looked suspiciously at him. "My money is on you, Niklaus. Beks likes 'em male and Elijah, well, we both know he's not a ripe killing machine." He looked to Rebekah and smiled, "right, darling?"

She nodded, but it was not at all that convincing.

"So that leaves Klaus." Kol finished with a smile, "he's a busy boy, you know. I suggest you hand over your doppelgänger or more may die." There was a feigned scolding in his voice, as though what he was saying were some sort of inside joke that no one else could understand.

Klaus looked from Kol to the Salvatore brothers and shook his head in confusion, "I'm not entirely sure what is going on, however, I do like the sound of what my brother is saying here."

"You see?" Kol clasped his hands together, "mystery solved. Now run along and be boring elsewhere. We have family matters to discuss."

Damon and Stefan exchanged glances then started to descend the sidewalk to the road. Elijah motioned with his head for them to go inside and so the family filed into the Lockwood mansion. They all followed Rebekah up the stairs and into a rather large room with a Jacuzzi inside it, a queen size bed, floral wall patterns and a huge walk in closet with the door open. She picked a remote off of the vanity by the bed and pressed a button. Jazz began to play softly in the background. "Three, Kol? You said one."

"I wanted to send a message." He shrugged, "what's the matter?"

"We want to stay here, brother." She hissed out, "we do not want the entire town knowing what we are. It's not like it was- they have technology now, they can learn things. We have to be more careful."

"No." He shook his head, "we want to stay here for a short while."

She glared at him, then looked to Elijah, "explain this to him."

"She's right, Kol- we can no longer kill indiscriminately. Not that we ever should have, but now it is a matter of self-preservation. That is a subject that should interest you."

Klaus found himself partially siding with Kol. They should really bow to no man, let alone some puny government. However, staying in town was suddenly very interesting to him with Caroline at his home.

"You're all so serious." He crossed the room with a brilliant smile on his face, "I was just messing with the Salvatore brothers. I was _bored_ and they are the only toys I have right now. After all, I've been forbidden to play with your beloved new Tatia."

"She's not a Tatia clone." Elijah responded easily, "she's a doppelgänger. She's no more like Tatia than Katherine was."

Klaus opened his mouth to comment on his brother's utterly stupid remark but thought better of it and then returned to his original plan: to get Rebekah back home and away from Kol. "You can't honestly think that staying with this lunatic is a good idea, Rebekah."

"Now is that any way to talk about your own brother?" Kol responded, with a hand on his chest and feigned outrage, "especially one you've been asking favors of. Watch Jeremy, you say, and I do it, don't I?"

Klaus snorted, "that was to keep us all alive."

He raised a hand, "stop acting as if you're any better than I, Niklaus."

"There is only one of us who started taking lives before we turned." Elijah pointed out, his gaze settling on Kol intently, "I won't have you pulling your little number on our sister. Understood?"

"Have I ever harmed you, Beks? Hurt you? Outside of pulling your hair when we fought as children and calling you well-deserved names, that is."

She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. She looked helplessly at Kol, as though she wanted to say something. He gave her a warning look and then she finally said, "He's never harmed me. He's never so much as even abandoned me."

"You see?" Kol spread his arms, "family matter solved. So now if you'll excuse me-" He started walking away and Klaus snaked his hand out to grab his brother by the arm. "Careful there, Niklaus." Kol hissed angrily, "just because you can't die doesn't meant that you can't be harmed. Of all the lessons I've taught you, I thought that one would be at the forefront of your mind right now."

Klaus forced back any kind of reaction sans fury, "I would behave if I were you."

He smiled, "funny that."

Klaus let go of him and the youngest son of Mikael walked out of the room, leaving the three siblings who had once vowed to never leave each other, alone with their miserable histories. Kol's warning had left a chill in him though. "Rebekah, he found witches to bind me and tortured me for-"

"For years." She finished, "I know the story."

"I'm worried for you. I don't want anything to happen to you." Klaus told her sincerely, "come home with me now, you can still visit him if you so choose, but to be here with him, constantly vulnerable? It's as insane as he is."

"Or come with me." Offered Elijah, "I have never, nor will I ever, harm you."

"But you'll leave." Rebekah told him, then she looked to Klaus, "and you'll trap me." She started past them, leaving her own room and following the path that Kol had walked. "His insanity seems a lot less dangerous than the love of either of you."

With that she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

Klaus looked to Elijah, whose eyes remained on the closed door where Rebekah once was. "He's going to kill her."

"Not if we kill him first."

**XXX**

**Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Supernatural**-Girl17 : Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**Lilylulurose**: the story for Elena/Elijah actually begins in this chapter, the beginning was just building it up to this. I hope you enjoy it!

I love Kol, and I love the idea that she's totally bad ass, so I'm glad you like it too.

My heart belongs to Beks (and all the Originals, obviously) so she'll get some love, no worries!

Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**DammitimmaD**: Then this is the chapter for you! It starts to explain who Kol was and who their family was. Thanks and I hope you continue to enjoy this!

A few author notes: I know this took a while to get out. I had finals, then after finals I had some super not fun real life drama. Things have called down. Sorry about the long wait.

This is my longest chapter yet, because I needed a lot of stuff to happen; and I put a part of the next chapter into this one so I had the fun ending. This is the chapter was a lot of fun to write, so I hope it's a lot of fun to read! As always, let me know what you think!

**Chapter Four: A Meeting of Minds**

"Are we really going to work with Klaus?" Stefan asked as Elena finished chopping the lettuce that she had planned on bringing with her to Klaus' mansion. Elijah had warned her to bring a dish, that it was what Klaus would expect for the formal dinner that he was throwing. Elena was attending so that she could obtain all of the information on Kol that she could, because he was an enemy and knowing the enemy was a whole hell of a lot better than a nasty surprise. "Elena, don't you think maybe this is Elijah setting us all up?"

The thought had crossed her mind, once or twice, even three times more when Elijah suggested that he fill Jeremy in on a few things early so her brother could skip the party. She had agreed because she wanted Jeremy safe, but it had occurred to her that he was more certain something bad was going to happen than she was, and that was why Jeremy was heading to higher ground. She truly did believe Elijah cared for her brother. "No." She shook her head, "I'm playing the game."

"Right." He didn't sound pleased as he handed her the green pepper, and turned so that his back was leaning against the counter, "so…you're going to this dinner with Elijah and Damon."

"Yes."

"While I do what exactly?" Stefan asked with some bitterness evident in his voice, "wait around to hear about how you two were massacred?"

"Of course not," she told with a roll of the eyes, "we can't all go and be sitting ducks, Stefan. That would be bad strategy. You're holding the leverage."

"And what exactly _is_ that leverage?" Stefan asked, eyebrows raised, "your blood is the only leverage we have over Klaus, and we have nothing over Elijah. He's a free agent. Have I mentioned how dangerous that makes him?"

"Often and repeatedly," she told him, "I think I woke up this morning repeating those exact words because you've drilled them so well into my mind." She laughed, cut up the cucumber and then placed both hands palm down on the table, looking over at him with patience, "if something happens to Damon, then Klaus and Elijah know you'll take out Rebekah. Considering she's the one they are trying to protect? I don't think they will pull anything." She set down the knife and looked at her ex, absorbing his beauty and remembering what it had been like to be with him, how alive it had made her feel, how distracted it had kept her from her own misery. She longed for that feeling, perhaps more than she longed for him or Damon. Sighing, she shook her head, "we've got to be smart about this, Stefan."

He said nothing but there was grim resignation haunting his beautiful face as he walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her own ugly thoughts.

**XXX**

The dinner was a replica of the meal she and Klaus had fought over. This time Caroline had been diligent in her refusal to say anything about it.

After all, they were having guests. There was reason to be extravagant.

Elijah, Elena and Damon were all going to attend. Rebekah had been invited too, of course, but Klaus doubted she was going to answer their invitation. According to him, Rebekah was team Kol. Also according to Klaus, that was giving him reason to team up with his brother Elijah, who he didn't seem to trust all that much.

Caroline trusted no one who was going to be at that table, sans Elena of course.

But she was putting her best foot forward this time and helping the servants with the arrangements on the table. She had noticed some flaws in their work from the dinner-that-wasn't and decided that it was her duty to ensure that this particular dinner looked absolutely perfect. Once she was satisfied with the set up she would get into the appropriate attire and make herself look perfect. After all, her own little plan to win Klaus was contingent on using her looks in the most lethal way possible. Which she had to admit, was kind of exciting and if she didn't focus too much on it and left it at exciting, she could almost function normally.

"You don't have to do this, love. We have servants. They won't leave until the guests arrive."

Caroline did to turn to look at him but instead surveyed the table thoughtfully before moving one of the serving dishes slightly to the left. "Well I've always felt that you can't expect others to achieve the perfection you expect."

"Mm." Was his only response.

She smiled and then turned to him, inspired. "Besides, I'm thinking about going into interior design, college is just around the bend and I was thinking the Pratt Institute in New York- but I might be more of a Cali girl, and there are some schools for it there." She paused thoughtfully, "Still, Pratt is like _the_ school to go to- and all that fashion in New York?" He chuckled and she whirled back to look at him, "what?"

"You would love New York- everything moves quickly and eagerly forward. It's a place that would suit you."

She turned back around to her work and said in a chipper voice, "I'm going to live off campus, no surprise roommate for me- I mean can you imagine trying to hide the fact that you're a vampire from someone who lived in a little room with you?" She laughed at the mere idea of it. How would she keep her blood refrigerated? How would she explain the vamp-out anytime her roommate nicked herself with a razor? "Without compelling the person's brain into mush from the constant compulsion cycle, that is."

When she looked back at him, she found herself startled. He was _staring_ at her, practically _studying_ her and he didn't even bother took away when she caught him the way others would have. _Remember Caroline, you're supposed to be seducing him. So do something…hot_.

But what?

She looked back at the table, and put a hand on her hip, swishing her thighs as she moved around the table and looking thoughtfully at her masterpiece. "I suppose that you would not worry about any of that, hm?" She asked rhetorically, "you would just compel your roommate to take care of the things you didn't want to, keeping them as your own personal slave."

"And you're the expert on me?" he asked with amusement.

She played to that, seeing opportunity and deciding to leap on it and ride it like the dragon it was. She let her eyes dance with mischief, "I'm doing my best to become one."

"I have a few new sides I could show you." He was in front of her then, the tiniest, suggestive little smile curving his mouth upwards. He touched her cheek and tilted his head to the side, "did you want to see them?"

His voice was low and gruff, his eyes held hers eagerly and she let him hold her gaze. She softened her eyes, trying to mimic a look of wonder so that he thought maybe, just maybe he was winning her over. He stepped closer, lowering himself towards her so that their lips could _almost_ graze each other. She took his hand from her cheek, fingers grazing the palm as she set it down by his side. "I'll let you know when you can touch me, Klaus." She was surprised her voice was as steady as it was, it had been difficult to break away from him…which was troubling. She opened and closed her tingling hand that had touched his, trying to get rid of the feeling of his skin on hers and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

"When?" He asked, raising one eyebrow suggestively.

"If." She corrected icily, hiding her cheer at his catching the clue that she had dropped for him.

The smile on his face grew a little more. "Of course," he relented mockingly, "if." His gaze dropped down to her mouth, eyes lingering there for a moment before bringing them back to her eyes. She let herself tense in his arms, so that he thought she was nervous, that he was getting to her, "you remind me of myself when I was human."

That…she hadn't been expecting.

"Vibrant and adventurous, ready for the challenge." He told her in that charming accent, dipping his head in seductively. "Eager." He spoke the word like he was tasting it and she felt like she could taste it too. Rich and full in her mouth like the wine the Lockwood's always had at their parties, the kind of wine people used to impress others. "Sometimes too eager," his whisper was dancing in her mind and she followed where it wanted her to go. "Because there's this little hole that can never quite be…filled up. It keeps you quick tempered, jealous, and it begs for perfection."

"And you're an expert on me?" She asked, dropping her own eyes to his lips. It took her a moment to realize that her reaction had _not_ been part of the act, but rather a natural reaction. She _wanted _to look at his mouth, at those lips, and a tiny but persistent little voice in her mind was asking her what he _tasted_ like.

Those lips that had her full attention curved into a sexy smile, "No, but look forward to seeing _every_ side of you, Caroline."

XXX

It was beginning again.

Rebekah had only to walk into Kol's bedroom to figure that out. His room, the cream walls blank only a day before, was now covered in his handwriting on the wall, intermixed with pictures and drawings. They weren't his drawings, Kol did not have an artist's hand. They were Niklaus' drawings. They were copies of drawings Niklaus had done of the family members, of all the people in their lives from when they were human. It looked like an homage to the past on his wall, some kind of…tribute.

There was a painting too, it looked as though it were Ayanna and Na, in clothing that reminded Rebekah of some drawings she had seen in England, it was of how American's were styling themselves. But that was in the 1800's, and it sat away from the other pictures. There was a black and white, old picture of Katherine next to it.

There were arrows pointing to it and pointing away, they followed different paths on the board, like it was also a strange maze. To Rebekah, there was no understanding the workings of it.

She reverted her attention to their 'home' from a thousand years before. To the drawing Nik had done of them as kids, back when they were still a family…

When they were all close…

Back when Nik hadn't gone crazy and they were concerned for Kol, not suspicious and hateful of him. But that was more than a few deaths ago, more than a few betrayals and heartbreaks ago. Now she alone was to help Kol; and while the state of his room deepened her concern, it gave her no answers on how to help him. It looked as his cave had looked so long before, with writing replacing symbols and permanent marker replacing blood.

But when he turned to her, he was wearing a charming smile and his eyes were placid, "did you know my Ayanna was here in the 1860's? You'll never guess the name she went by."

"Kol," Rebekah began, having almost not heard him. Then she stopped and looked at him queerly. "Wait, why would she return here?"

He shrugged, "maybe she was looking for something." He suggested, "or maybe she just wanted to remember home." He strode across the room to stare at the painting, "she went by Annabelle. Get it?"

"You're little _Ana-B__è__l_." Rebekah recited the endearment he had given the little slave girl. They were words off the native tongue and a play on her name Ayanna. He had gotten away with the endearment because no one else in their family, including herself for the most part, had learned the language thoroughly. They knew a few words, some important sentences, but their father had not wanted them to know the language- so they never learned it. Kol, however, had gone against their father's wishes, his knowledge of their language was as good as his knowledge of theirs. "but why choose a name so similar to her own? Was she not hiding?"

"Maybe she wanted to be found." Kol told her earnestly. "Maybe she wasn't hiding at all."

Rebekah wasn't entirely certain that her brother was on the right path, but the argument would do neither of them good. He was as stubborn and unyielding as she was. "What name did Na go under?"

"Pearl."

"Pearl, huh? I wonder why." Rebekah regarded Ayanna's mother thoughtfully. She had always been something of an enigma to Rebekah, so hard to figure out, more to the point, her relationships were even harder to comprehend. "Who do you think she loved more…"

But her thought could not be finished,, because the sound of a pesky _human _made her jump. In the doorway stood a little doll of a girl; Rebekah thought of her as doll-like because of the false hair-color, a bright and aggressive pink color. She had ripped up clothes on, like a beggar, but Rebekah knew from television it was simply a style. It dawned on her that the look made her seem sexy and wild, much like the flappers from the 20's.

"Veronica, meet my sister Rebekah. Beks, this is Ronnie. She's quite a handy little thing."

"Oh?" Rebekah raised a brow and approached her, "and how is she handy?"

"Ayanna is living with her, she knows how to use those contraptions in the office to get us pertinent information. More importantly, she has a little community of people like herself, that go to a private…message board." The last work rolled awkwardly off his tongue, and she wondered if she had sounded like that when he had first woken in the future.

"Herself?" Rebekah's eyes narrowed, "what do you mean?"

"I'm not a witch," Ronnie specifically clarified, "well, not a strong one. I can't make magic out of nowhere, but I can mix some stuff up, do a few little things. I'm good with plants and herbs, I know what minerals work and don't. I'm bright. I can see outside of boxes and I think in non-linear patterns. I see things others don't." She put a hand on her hip, elbow out and smiled. "So I found more like me, people who know about the supernatural, who use it for their own purposes."

"And what does that do for us, exactly?" Rebekah found herself getting annoyed. "It's not like you could stand up to a Bennett witch, even as a group. Her line spawns from the strongest witch we've ever encountered."

"But she can find things." Kol rationalized to his sister with a smile, he reached into the pocket of his black, Calvin Klein jeans, and pulled out a thin, smoothed stone attached to what looked like a delicate silver chain. The _Laguz rune._

It was. Rebekah, without thought, moved to touch the stone. "This was Tatia's, Kol. What is your plan for it?"

He snatched it back and put it into his pocket once more, "that will ruin the fun of the surprise, wouldn't it, Beks?" He grinned, "what's important in this very moment is that our new, dearest mate has helped us acquire it, is in the perfect position to spy on Ayanna."

"She has no memory." Ronnie told her very quickly. "She has no idea who she is."

Rebekah felt realization dawn on her, "well that explains this week. How does one explain almost two hundred years ago?"

"When Ronnie here figures out how to get her memory back, we'll know." Kol told her simply, "and in return she's practically asking for nothing."

"I'm a simple girl with simple needs." Ronnie told him with a smile full of mischief, "now, we have a deal right?"

"Of course." Kol looked to Rebekah, "I'll take care of your little problem, and I'll not harm Jeremy. Easily done."

Rebekah, who felt like this could very well be a trap, shrugged, "sure, fine. Whatever."

**XXX**

"So you underwent self-imposed exile and self-inflicted torturous changes so that you can break this sire-bond thing with Klaus." Anna summarized swinging her legs as she sat on the tree branch above. Tyler found the ground preferable, planting himself on a boulder that jutted out into the water of the 'lake,' which was really just a manmade swimming pond his ancestors had put onto their property. "Have you tried to see her?"

He balled up the shirt that he had taken off and put it under his head, stretching out so that the sunlight could warm him all the way to his bones. His favorite blue swimming trunks had dried already from the sun and he was feeling pretty darn good. They were waiting for Jeremy to finish with Elijah and take care of some odds and ends, doing whatever it was that Jeremy did. He liked the kid, he did, but he always found himself wondering where his head was. Anna had met him in the woods, looking very much like the girl in the pool hall and less like a naked crazy person running in terror and that was comforting. Her hair was in wiry waves, she had on a pair of hip hugging straight legged jeans, a loose gray shirt with necklaces hanging down, intertwining with each other. "I can't. I want to make sure the bond is gone first."

"And how do you propose doing that?" Anna wanted to know.

He opened an eye to look at her. She was staring at him intently, like she could see straight through him. Tyler wondered what she was thinking, of him, of Jeremy, of the whole world that she knew nothing about. "Don't know yet."

"This is a lot of trouble for you to go to," she said, "for a girl."

"Jeremy would do it for you." He pointed out, certain that he was right about what he said. He watched as her teeth nibbled on her lower lip and she looked away. "You don't love him?"

She still didn't look at him, "he's hot." She offered, "and I when I look at him, I think about sex."

He snorted, "nice."

"And he's nice." She added quickly, "I mean, look at everything he has done for me. I'm so lucky." Her voice lowered at the end, almost questioning the statement. She cleared her throat, "but I don't know him. I don't…know anyone. So how could I love him, right? And I can't act on the physical want, can I? Because that would just make him invested."

"He's already invested, he's been invested since you came back as Casper." Tyler remarked, "my advice? Fuck him and that'll help you figure things out."

"So eloquently put, Ty." She told him dryly, jumping down from the tree and landing right in front of his face, instinctively, he flinched and she smiled at that. "Have you ever thought about writing an advice column?"

"Often and repeatedly," he shot back quickly, with a smirk on his face. "But no one ever takes advice, so it's a pointless job."

She laughed and shook her head, then leapt off the rock, landing gracefully on the ground. "It's good you see that now, instead of in thirty years during a mid-life crisis."

"Do immortals even have those?" Tyler wanted to know, climbing to his feet so that he was looking down at her instead of up. She shrugged as an answer, then jumped onto the rock, then back up into the tree.

Not to be outdone, Tyler followed suit, to the branch above her until they were engrossed in a battle that started out as a competition to see who could get higher; but then evolved into a race of tree-leaping to the edge of the woods. The wind whipped through his hair and around his body, tree brush scraping at his exposed skin as he went, then the cuts healing just as fast as they came. He was grinning, but the laughter was caught inside him like a bubble. They ended at his own mansion, and it looked so alien to him, like it belonged to someone else. He felt so different than the guy who had lived there, the angry, lost asshole who took out his confusion and anger on everyone else.

She stopped, freezing in a tree branch, balancing easily without even having to use her hands on the trunk. She stared at the house, tilting her head to the side. "Jeremy is supposed to tell us all the terrible things Kol has done."

Tyler, on the branch behind her, wondered what kind of expression she wore, what she was feeling and so, being Tyler, he asked. "so are you still terrified of him?"

She shook her head, "no."

"Why don't you just go confront him now then?" Tyler wanted to know.

"He's an original, right? Aren't they supposed to be like…super powerful and evil? I don't know how strong I am. Maybe he could rip my heart out without even batting an eye lash." She dropped her voice, "I don't feel the fear, but I know in my head that I _should_ be afraid. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." He said quietly, "that makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Sh." She hissed, jumping back and pulling him with her to a branch behind the tree, her hand clamped down over his mouth with crushing strength. He bit down a cry of pain and let her guide his head to the door of his home. Rebekah was exiting with a punk rock looking girl behind her that Tyler recognized from town gatherings and founding family events. Veronica Fell, heir to the Fell fortune. She had always been a little off, a little _different_ than the rest of her family. He had never really known her though, just the face and the rumors surrounding her. When Jeremy had told him that she was housing Anna, he hadn't been surprised or wary.

But now…

He wanted to ask Anna if she knew that the Fell girl was cavorting with the enemy, if this was part of some plan she and Jeremy had, but her hand still kept his mouth tightly closed.

"I'll see you soon then, Rebekah." She told the Original with a smile, then the smile faded. "And his promise is your promise too, remember that."

"If I were you, I wouldn't be telling me what to remember and what to forget, little girl. You're the little lamb playing around with wolves." She smirked, as if finding herself entirely amusing, then said, "but no worries. Your little _Jeremy_ will remain safe. He sure does have a knack for women going to bat for him. Must be the big brown eyes."

Veronica raised an eyebrow, "Well, as long as he's safe, I'll get you Anna."

"See that you do; and quickly." There was a long pause, "run along now."

Why would she trust them? He pulled Anna's hand from his mouth, but kept quiet and she let go of him but shot him a warning look. He rolled his eyes at her before turning back to Rebekah and Veronica.

The pink haired Fell was getting into her car, while Rebekah was shutting the door to the mansion. Anna grabbed his hand and darted off deeper into the woods and he clung to her as he tried to keep up. The tiny thing was quick and strong, so he felt, even with his valiant speed, that she was dragging him with her. When they arrived back at the remains of the old Lockwood estate, Jeremy was already there waiting.

His eyebrows shot up as Tyler remembered that he was shirtless and they were both looking alarmed. Before he could say a word, Anna exclaimed, "Ronnie is collaborating with Kol and Rebekah in order to keep you safe."

"Wh-what?" Jeremy stepped toward them, "you've got to be kidding me."

Tyler shook his head, "we just saw it go down, man."

"I just…can't believe this. I've known her since we were kids, I didn't think she was like this…" He shook his head and looked helplessly at Anna.

She, however, seemed more thoughtful than anything else. There was no anger there, no betrayal and Tyler found himself confused by that. From what Jeremy had described, Anna was the vengeful kind. Tyler looked to Jeremy, who looked angry and hurt. But then, it was his friend that had been doing the betraying.

"So what the hell do we do now?" Anna asked, then she stopped and looked right at Jeremy. "We don't tell her. Okay? We don't tell her anything."

"Why?"

"Because she's protecting you for one, and because we can feed her false information, we can control what Kol knows and does not know.

"She has a point." Tyler decided, "it sounds smart anyway."

Jeremy nodded, but if anyone has asked Tyler, he would have said that he did not look convinced.

**XXX**

_She had said she wanted to dance,_ Klaus thought with satisfaction as he lounged languidly on the window seat in the foyer, taking in the beautiful sunlight that was gathering on the small koi pond in his back yard. _Doesn't she realize that is what we're always doing, she and I? _

She had been an exquisite dancing partner only moments before, matching his every quip with her own.

He pressed his fingers into his forehead, elbow against the glass and his attention away from the outside world. At the moment she was his captive, but unlike his other captives he had no sense of possession of her. In truth, he could not compel her, she imbibed Vervain regularly, this he knew. Should she want to leave, there was no stopping her, outside of threats against her mother and family.

And if he dug deeply enough inside himself, he was left wondering if he really would do anything to her family if she left.

_Yes_, he told himself firmly, keeping the word resolute. _If I go soft on her, how would others think of me? They would assume I was cracking, finally losing it, and how could I maintain my power? _

It bothered him that he had even questioned it.

At the sound of footsteps, however quiet, Klaus looked up. Caroline, wearing a lovely red dress with spaghetti straps and toeless heels, accentuating her pale skin, golden hair and long legs, approached with a smile. He had been afraid she wouldn't dress for the occasion, but should have known better. Caroline Forbes _always _dressed the part.

He had decided to wear tan slacks and a loose mahogany silk shirt, both made Gucci. In truth, they looked like they had coordinated their clothes and that pleased Klaus on two levels. The first was on a purely ascetic level, he enjoyed how pleasing to the eye they would be as a pair. The second was that it gave the illusion of solidarity. Elijah, Damon and Elena would walk into the mansion and note how _together_ they appeared and, subconsciously, it would tell them that he and Caroline were a team.

He only wished he had planned it so that he could take the credit.

"You're a vision." He told her with a smile, standing up and extending a hand, "truly."

She gave an elegant nod and a smile, "of course I am."

He enjoyed the arrogance and the smugness of her straight posture and enigmatic tug on her lips gave her a radiance that he took time to appreciate. First, he drank her in with his eyes from top, then to bottom, and back to top again. When she took his hand, he brought her a step closer. Her skin was soft and smooth against his, and she smelled like…he couldn't place it. At first he thought it was something fruity but then it shifted and it became musky, with hints of other aromas. Was there pumpkin somewhere in there? It didn't matter. What mattered was that she smelled _amazing. _"After dinner I arranged a gathering, Caroline. You wished to dance, so you shall dance."

"You'll arrange it so I'll have anything I want?" She asked lightly, teasingly and smiled at her own joke like he understood it. Maybe he did. She probably wanted him dead, to protect those she loved, to avenge those he had already killed.

"Within reason." He told her, smiling back pleasantly. "I would look forward to fulfilling all of your desires, Caroline."

"Smooth, Klaus." She rolled her eyes and walked past him to the dining room which was prepared in full for their guests, "real smooth."

He moved to be behind her as quickly as he could, _almost _touching her. He remembered her words from earlier and he wanted to show her that he could be patient, that she didn't know every facet and maybe, just maybe she might then want to know more. "Would you like me to be smooth, Caroline?"

She whirled around to look at him, finding herself almost nose to nose with him. He could tell by her expression and the widened eyes that he had taken her off guard and he was pleased by this. "I'm not impressed. Any vampire can do that." She told him.

Her eyes told him something else, so he decided to press his luck, "do you want me to show you things other vampires _can't_ do? I gladly will. I'll take my time doing it. I'll savor every moment." He captured her gaze and held it, letting his eyes hood over as a smile played on his lips, "I could start by compelling Damon, you know. I can make _him _into the puppet that he made you into."

"How did you-" She stopped then shook her head, "he told you. When Rebekah had him here, you compelled him."

He smiled wolfishly, "if he hadn't been Rebekah's prey, I would have ripped his heart out. I still can. I can serve it to you as a present, or would you like his end slower than that?"

Her lips parted slightly, as if she were considering her words. He hoped that she was. If their situations were reversed he would be doing more than considering. The way that Damon had talked about Caroline, as if she were disposable, had infuriated him. But then, Klaus had to consider the source. Damon Salvatore was less than nothing and of little consequence. He fell for Katherine, like only a fool would, then Elena, because Katherine wouldn't have him.

"No." She shook her head and Klaus forced himself not to roll his eyes. "Elena cares about him."

"Elena would be better off without him." Klaus coaxed, walking around her, approaching her from the other side with his offer. "Think about it, without Damon she would no longer be confused about her feelings, would she? Stefan, your dear friend, would have his girlfriend back and the world would be minus one more cheeky vampire with an inflated sense of worth."

She raised her eyebrows, insinuating that he was just that type of vampire and Klaus found himself shrugging good naturedly, "I didn't use you as a walking, talk slurpy machine Caroline, all the while using you to betray your friends. He did."

"But you would if it suited you." She told him evenly, "you've done worse."

"I could do better." He responded smartly, spreading his hands out, "you won't even give me a shot?"

"To reform?" She laughed scornfully, "I hardly think you're a puppy dog, willing to change your ways to please a pretty girl."

Using his most encouraging, dashing smile, he told her, "You're underestimating your beauty."

"You're underestimating my intelligence." She shot back, "funny, Damon did the same thing." She turned on her heels and started toward the steps. "Summon me when the guests arrive, please." She stopped in her tracks as the doorbell rang. She turned to watch Klaus opening the door.

The first gaze to hit her was Elena, she had immediately averted her eyes from Klaus to the inside of his home, scanning the room until hitting Caroline. There was a small relieved smile on her lips. Klaus didn't miss the exchange, but he resisted the urge to turn and look at the expression on Caroline's face.

He settled his sights on his brother, who stood before him with a very serious expression. "Come inside." He turned to Caroline who had descended the steps and was right in front of Elena, "here, let me take that." She took the large green bowl from it. She peeled her gaze from Elena to Damon and Elijah.

Polite greetings were quickly exchanged before they introduced the group to the meal and were seated- but the food served was quickly forgotten when the point of their meeting was brought up by Elena, who seemed eager to know Kol's story. She sat beside Caroline, who was at the foot of the table. Across from Elena was Damon, beside her, Elijah and at the head of the table, next to his brother, Klaus.

It was Elijah who started the story. "There are three who know the whole tale and, quite frankly, it's unlikely they will ever divulge the whole thing. Rebekah and Kol, of course. The third was a little slave girl, the name-daughter of our witch. They know what happened. We know fragments of his insanity, of what he's capable of."

"We first started to suspect something was _wrong_ with our brother at a very young age." Klaus took up the story and looked askance at Caroline, whose eyes were fixed readily on him. "He didn't sleep often, he didn't _like_ anyone, and he spent more than a fair share of his time in the woods alone. When he came of age, mother kept him with her in the home. She didn't want to expose him to hunting. We all thought it was because of his size, he was a malnourished thing back then, but one night I heard our parents fighting." Klaus paused and looked at Elijah, "mother felt the violence of hunting would only prove to hasten his dark little hobbies."

"Apparently mother had caught him torturing animals." Elijah clarified, looking sideways at his brother and facing Elena with a serious expression. "We found out that she knew after we were vampires. We had no idea as humans. However, we learned on our own what he did, Tatia told us."

Klaus ignored the moment between Elijah and the doppelgänger, "well she came to Elijah, and I was with him." He looked up at his brother who was almost startled, but soon his smooth expression returned. "We ran to the woods to catch him, so we could ask him if this was for one of his rituals, because Kol and Rebekah were their mother's children."

Elijah cast Elena a sideways glance and asked, "is this the way I sound when I explain our history?" She seemed to look like she was choking back a laugh, then had the good sense to look apologetic. Elijah seemed amused by this and then looked at Damon and finally Caroline, "he's being purposefully, and irritatingly vague. Rebekah and Kol, unlike the rest of mother's children, were witches. The rest of us showed no real inclination."

"Even today Rebekah has more keen intuition than anyone else I know."

Caroline looked at Elena, then back at Klaus and said, "so Original vampires keep some of their witch genes or whatever? Because if regular vampires turn a witch, they lose all that."

"It would seem that they do, but they're not witches. They can't cast spells or do anything of that sort." Elijah answered quickly, "they can't call on their ancestor's either, for obvious reasons."

"Klaus then interjected, "we're straying off path, brother. Let's do move on with this."

Elijah glared. "Tatia came to us, out of breath and terrified. She insisted that she found Kol in a clearing, laughing as he opened up a _living_ squirrel. She said there were already two carcasses on the ground next to him."

"That's horrifying." Caroline whispered out.

"That's bullshit." Damon said with a roll of his eye. "None of you would have given a flying fuck if he was torturing animals, it's not like your culture was specifically known for its mercy on any living things."

"_Our mother_ would have cared." Klaus responded evenly, "and, quite honestly, we thought if she knew, she'd stop babying him. He was growing up weak."

"And apparently psychotic." Caroline muttered, leaning back in her seat, "But why am I not surprised that either of you would be okay with animal torture?"

"Torture gets you what you want, Caroline." Klaus shrugged, "if it works, you use it. That's how you win."

"But there has to be a line you won't cross, something you won't do." Elena put in.

No sooner could she get the words out, then Damon was replying in an acidic manner; ""They were Vikings, Elena. Conquering is what they did. Did you think they managed to survive so long by holding back? No. Because if you won't do it, there is someone else who will; now they have the edge on _you_ and it's your own fault."

Elena blinked at him, "that's not living, that's surviving. There's a difference."

Klaus caught the look of complete and utter awe on Elijah's face at her statement. He either wasn't trying, or wasn't capable, of hiding it. Klaus looked to Caroline who looked victorious. She believed that nonsense? That idealistic bull? "It's far better than dying or losing the life of someone you love, is it not?" Klaus contradicted icily, "perhaps if your mentality was more akin to mine you would still have your Aunt Jenna around, your father would still be alive and, oh, I wouldn't be a motherfucking hybrid. But you see, you hesitate and so…" he folded his hands back up, "you lose."

Before Elena could even react, Caroline interjected, "your mother obviously disagreed, if she thought that torturing animals was wrong."

"And yet we're still alive and her precious sacrifice Finn is gone." Klaus responded, "because there are things she won't do."

"We are getting entirely off point," Elijah cut in, standing up. "I get that none of us agree on how to handle things, I recognize this. But at the moment Kol is a very serious threat, and I'm not sure that is entirely understood; since his inaction has lulled people into thinking he is not one." As the group turned their intention from their debate back to him, Elijah sat. "We were never able to catch him torturing any creatures, by the time we arrived in the woods, the clearing was empty sans a little slave girl with a fire, roasting a squirrel."

"It was this year that we believe he killed the owner of that little slave girl and somehow convinced our mother to bring her on as one of our own." Klaus added, though he knew his voice sounded lower than usual. "That was the first death that we attribute to him."

"We think that he helped our mother kill Tatia." Elijah told them, "he had no love for her. She had betrayed him in order to keep me safe from mother's wrath, or we think that is how it happened. Because of the secret she betrayed, mother sold Ayanna to a woman outside the village." Klaus could see the conflict on his brother's face. There was guilt there for him, knowing what had happened to Kol's little pet. "She was…what you now call a Madame. She used her slaves to make money off of men."

"Lucrative business."

"Until we became vampires anyway. Then, the very first deaths were in that little business. Kol went to retrieve his property and then…" Elijah shook his head, "there were no survivors."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg." Klaus added, "the beginning."

"Yes." Elijah nodded, "Kol has done worse since, and he's smart about it."

"Really? Because so far it sounds like he was obsessed with some slave girl and did anything to possess her. That sounds eerily familiar." Damon cast a pointed look at both of them, then folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe creepy and obsessive is a family trait."

"He was able to capture and torture me." Klaus finally ground out angrily, "which means he's smart and he's powerful. Do you understand? He was able to do what the lot of you combined could not do. He hates Tatia, and he's not exactly sane, so he'll hate you Elena. He will kill you. And right now? His partner is Rebekah, who isn't too fond of you either. Are you understanding my point? How about you, Damon? Your precious, little unrequited love is in danger, which means my supply of hybrid-making-blood is at risk. On top of that we," he motioned to himself and Elijah, "want to protect our baby sister. So you see how putting Kol back in a coffin benefits all of us?"

Damon regarded him carefully, "do you have some kind of plan?"

Klaus decided to take that as an affirmative on Damon's part, but he didn't trust Salvatore and stored his non-answer close to the surface of his memory as a reason to question his loyalty. "We need Rebekah on our side, Damon."

"Okaaaaay?" Damon looked at Elena, who was just as confused.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you would seduce her for us, mate." Klaus said with a sarcastic smile, "she's more likely to take to that before listening to either of us."

There was an awkward silence over the group, before Caroline let a snicker escape from her throat. "Oh, that's priceless. That's just…" She shook her head, "talk about playing to someone's strengths!"

"Hahaha, hilarious." Damon waved a hand at her, "well, I did play you pretty easily."

"It might be a little harder without being able to _compel _someone." Klaus sliced in with a terseness that surprised even him. He settled back into his chair, "we have some time, Kol works slowly and methodically. His is a special kind of madness."

"Actually, time is something I don't have." Elena said with a little haste in her tone, "I really have to leave. I forgot that I have to go take care of Bonnie's garden. I forgot yesterday, I can't forget today or she'll…hex me or something." Elena stood up and was already toward the door when Elijah was in front of her. "What?"

"You can't go alone. Did you completely miss the part where we said Kol specifically will come after you?"

"I didn't, actually." Elena told him hotly, "nor did I miss the part where Klaus told us he worked slowly. I don't think I'm in any danger today. Besides, I'm going right to the one house we _know_ vampires can't get into. I'll be fine."

"She will, brother." Klaus assured her, "and we must talk to Damon some more, he needs to know how to get to Rebekah."

"I think I already have that covered." Damon told them lazily, "I can escort Elena to Bonnie's."

"Really? Because the last time I saw you with my sister, she was torturing you."

"Actually, she was letting me go. Remember?"

Klaus opened his mouth to speak but Elena cut him off. "He's right Damon, if Rebekah is our only shot, you need to know how to do this. I mean, that is if you're going to. You have every right to say no, Damon. No one will force you to do it."

"And you have no problem with this at all?" He asked a little too casually. Klaus wondered if Elena caught the test Damon was giving her.

She shook her head no, so apparently not, "It's your decision, not mine."

"I'm in," He replied evenly, almost challengingly. "I mean, what the hell, it was fun last time." He meant the words to cut and by the look on Elena's face, they hit the mark. Klaus wondered if Damon knew he was out of the game yet, if he knew that Stefan, somehow, was winning this little competition for her that they had going. Poor chap, Klaus _almost_ felt sorry for him.

"Okay." She replied, "I really have to go, I promised Bonnie. I'll text you later, so you'll know I'm okay." She told Damon with a half-smile. She walked over to hug Caroline, then left, leaving her two escorts looking equal parts unhappy and confused.

"Well, let's get to work, Damon." Elijah suggested with a weary sigh.

XXX

"He came out again last night." Lucy told Bonnie with a sigh as she poured them both some hot tea. The witch sat across from her cousin, and Bonnie grimaced at the news. She dumped a few lumps of sugar in the tea that Lucy had brewed, the concoction specially made to invoke inspiration.

It had a fruity taste to it, and as she drank it she felt warmer, lighter, despite the disparaging news. For the last week they had tried every merging spell that they could to try and mend the schism inside of Alaric Saltzman and each time proved to be a failure.

The herbs she had put so much work into had failed as well, it seemed he was doomed to be split into two halves forever and that he would never know peace. "Worse, the witches seem to enjoy his alter," Lucy continued, "they want to kill every vampire, they find them to be abominations against nature."

"Well that's just fantastic, isn't it?" Bonnie asked sarcastically then took another long drink of the tea. "Do you agree with them, Lucy?"

She shook her head, "no. But I've spent a lot of time with vampires- and I don't just mean the bitches like Katherine, Bon." She leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner, "to kill all of them? Doesn't that seem just as evil as vampires feeding arbitrarily on humans? I mean…I've met some vampires who _don't _do that."

Caroline. Bonnie thought the name immediately. She couldn't think of Stefan like that anymore, not after all she had learned about him, but Caroline for certain. "Try explaining that to the circle."

"They won't listen." Her voice dropped another octave, "Bon, I think we've gotten as far as we can with these witches. We need to find another way to fix this."

She hated to agree, but what choice did they have? Still, they needed to make sure that Caroline's mother was safe and Bonnie didn't think that Mystic Falls would accomplish that particular goal. "Well if witches can't help us solve Ric's split personality issue, who do you think can? I mean, we're running out of options."

Lucy looked thoughtful as she stared into her cup of tea. When she looked back up, Bonnie felt a surge of hope fueled by the expression on her cousin's face. "We need some time and some space, it won't happen in like a day or anything, but what if we made up our own spell? It would take some trial and error, but I think we can do it."

"Do you think we're powerful enough?"

Lucy nodded, "oh yeah, we just need someone who is an expert with herbs, flowers and gems." Lucy explained with energy in her voice, "someone who knows their way around a spellbook too- some extra books would be helpful too."

"I have that covered." Bonnie replied, "the books, I mean. There was this guy, Luka and his dad? They had a whole library full of books. I have them now."

She raised an eyebrow but said nothing, "okay, so we go back to Mystic Falls then."

"What about Liz and Ric though?" Bonnie wanted to know, "Mystic Falls is drowning in vampire problems. I want to keep them far away and safe." Bonnie stood up and paced the length of Lucy's dining room, "Liz can stay here, right? I mean, the witches will protect her."

"They will." Lucy told her.

"Ric can come back to Mystic Falls with us then while we go through all the books and try to piece together a spell. Maybe we can find like…an herbalist online or something?" she looked at Lucy who was nodding eagerly. "Well, at least we have a plan." But there was a whisper in the back of her mind that made Bonnie feel reluctant to leave for Mystic Falls, like there was something dangerous lurking there…

Who was she kidding? It was Mystic Falls. There was always something dangerous lurking there.

XXX

The light trickled down through the trees shattering beams so that they meet spots on the ground with their brightness. She remained behind a thick trunk, bubbles of laughter threatening to explode from her chest. She was waiting for him, even though she shouldn't be, even though it was wrong, but for some reason the sensation of happiness overwhelmed her usual worries them trepidations. Perhaps it was the beauty of the day; the sun was out, there is a small breeze broken up by the trees that made it perfect to be outside. How could anyone worry on the like that?

"Must I find you?"

It was Elijah's voice, clear as the sound of the birds in the sky and just as beautiful. She didn't move, she didn't even breathe, although she was sure that if you listen hard enough he would be able to hear her heart pounding. "You hide your beautiful face from me, what have I done to deserve such punishment?"

She grinned, then popped her head out from her hiding place, "you are dallying with those below your place, and for that you must pay."

He started upon her, but she quickly darted through the trees, daring him to chase her. He did, barreling after her like men are wont to do but she evaded him with her quickness, an attribute she thanked her gender and station for. The wind billowed beneath her linen dress and she fought to keep it down as she ran, modesty prevailing over her desire to not be caught by him.

His hand fell onto her shoulder, thick and warm, it stopped her movement and spun her around to look at him. She extended her foot as she turned, wrapping it around his ankle and sending them both to the ground. He caught her with an arm circling her waist, then his right hand slamming onto the ground to break their fall. "Are you trying to slay us?"

"Better that than be caught by your mother." She replied with a lofty little smile. He dipped his head to touch his lips against hers but she swiveled to avoid it. "She alone can cast a fate worse than death."

"You fear my mother?" He asked with humor, "while the rest fear my father."

"The rest are fools." She told him, looking into his eyes in defiance. He was heavy atop her, even while he held a lot of his weight on his arm as not to burden her. His hair fell like a veil over their faces, giving her the feeling of privacy, though there was none. "Your mother is the strength. Your father is simply a symbol. Anyone with sense knows it."

"Then she need not know."

"There is nothing to know."

"Mmm, but I want there to be." He told her, his breath was warm on her face and it sent a stirring between her thighs. Elijah was the handsomest man she had ever laid eyes on, so handsome that she wondered if Mikael was truly his father or if was actually one of the legendary elves that his people talk of so often. It would explain why she felt so strongly about him, despite the troubles with having such emotions. His dark eyes looked into hers with desire and inquiry. She knew that she should look away, that to keep their gazes locked like this was an invitation, but she could not will her gaze to move and stop taking in his beauty.

So she let her mouth do what her eyes would not, "your brother wishes the same." She told him.

Straight and true, the words hit their mark and he rolled off of her. "My brother simply wishes to upset father."

His words stung too, but she quickly recovered. "And can do no wrong according to his mother." She told him, getting to her feet and brushing off the leaves and grass from her already stained and beaten up dress. "So who would be the safer choice for my child, Elijah?"

He turned to her, advancing towards her in such a fashion that she found herself backing up to the tree. The bark was digging into her back and she looked up at him with wide eyes. She did not fear him though, not as women needed to fear men anyway. The panic within her breast was of her own action at this closeness. "And do you want to choose him, Tatia?" He asked in a husky voice. He raised his hand to touch her cheek, stroking it gently before moving his fingers to her lips, gently grazing the lower one with his calloused fingers. "Do you want him?"

The feeling of his calloused, rough fingers against her lip weakened her will, her resolve, to keep her emotions for him stifled. She had worked so hard not to notice the way the light highlighted his cheekbones, the way his eyes devoured her, the way his voice took that low, rumbly tone that made her think of the things men and women were meant to do. It was hard though, harder with his skin on hers, the feel of it on her lips made her wonder how it would feel in other places.

She shook her head for she could not speak. She did not want Niklaus, she never had, but she feared standing up against him. Not because she feared _him_, though she sensed a violence lurking beneath that beauty of his, but Esther watched them so closely and she was so powerful. If she upset Niklaus, she upset Esther and then what would become of her beloved baby?

He smiled, "I was afraid you did. I couldn't bear the thought of you with him." He closed his eyes and she saw pain and anger flicker over his usually stony features. They were not stony with her though and when he opened his eyes back up she felt wild and beautiful, as all women should feel but so rarely did. To live without this feeling, to never know passion and fire, it was true loss and yet there was no room for it in their world of survival and hardship. She moistened her lips with her tongue and fought back the urge to take his mouth with hers. "Why do you give him your attention?"

"Are you jealous?"

"Of course I am." The violence behind the words burst out of him as though it was beyond his control. "When he flirts and he smiles….then you flirt and smile back…I…" He didn't finish, just shook his head before looking at her again, his hands fell down again and he took her pendant, a flat rock with the rune _Laguz_ carved into it. "Do you do it to anger me? To test me?"

"No." She said, hand flying to her chest, then taking her necklace back instinctively. "You don't seem to understand the power that your mother has, Elijah. She's strong, stronger than my family line and Na's too. She was able to send Na away, that should tell you something."

"I wouldn't let her send you away." He lightly brushed the hair from her face, fingers lingering enough to send little shocks of lightning through her.

She shook her head, "it isn't me I worry for, it's my daughter." Tatia answered, "I put her at risk for even being here…I should lose my life, I deserve to."

"No." He whispered fiercely, "no. You will both come with me. We'll runaway together, Tatia. We will be a family."

"And what of my mother?" She asked, "who will care for her? She is too old to leave, too sick. I can never leave her like this."

He cupped her face with his hands, stroking her cheek so gently with his thumb that it left a tingling sensation throughout her body. "Your love for your family…even after your mother was so awful to you…" He moved his hand slightly so that his thumb could stroke the contours of her lower lip, his eyes were trained on her mouth and it caused her heart to pound even harder, "the way you stayed for them, knowing how others would look at you for being with child…it's _Khàti."_

She moistened her lips slowly, taking in the word that was not used by the Vikings, but by the wolves. It was a word that had no real translation in the tongue either of their families originally spoke. It meant pure, but not exactly, for it also meant compassion and love. He knew little of their native tongue, even less than she herself did, so it was strange to hear the word from his perfect mouth. "Elijah-"

"We will hide," he whispered, "we will tell no one until we can finally leave. Then together we will go and I will raise_ her_ as though she was _ours_."

She raised her own hands to take his strong beautiful face in her hands. "You mean this."

"Every word." He swore in a breath. "Tatia, you are all I dream of, all I have ever wanted, I would forsake every honor I have if it meant that I could have you." The feel of his warmth against her, his breath on her face and the penetration of his eyes made her want to have him abandon it all for him. It was like a spell, being that wanted and her head was dizzy with it. But what did that make her? What kind of person was she to make him give up everything? For her to have Elijah, honorable, sweet, noble Elijah forsake his own character to be with her? It was cruelty at its highest level. "Say that you'll have me. Say that you want me."

She could barely catch her breath to speak and she wanted nothing more than to taste his lips and feel his skin against hers. But it was wrong. It was forbidden and she simply could not ask him to abandon his honor, the very core of is being, for her. "There is no place in this world for us." She whispered hoarsely, choking the words out against her own will and desires. "I will marry within my station and you will do right by your parents. It is the way it has to be."

"So you feel nothing?" He asked, and she could see that he knew it wasn't true. "This is all just of my own making?"

Could she lie? Could she convince him that she felt nothing for him? Even if she wanted to, she had never been an excellent liar and she could never, ever lie to him, _he_ whom she held in such high regard. "Elijah, I feel everything for you. More than you know- and that's why I can't take you away from the family you love so much, the brother that is your best friend, the sister you adore…they mean so much to you." His skin was smooth beneath her fingers tips, and she took a strand of silken hair between her thumb and forefinger, rubbing it, feeling it, memorizing it.

They had never kissed, only flirted and teased. She wanted to kiss him then, to at least know what it was like, to have lived it…

But if she gave into this, what else would she give into? How much further would it go? Would they be able to turn back?

"I can't do this to you, Elijah." She whispered, before ducking from underneath his arm and running back towards the village.

...Elena's eyes snapped open and she went from the woods to a bedroom and she found herself staring into two bottomless pits. Going from the warmth of Elijah's gaze, to the emptiness that was before her now was startling and unnerving. It jerked into the painful reality of bound wrists and the throbbing pain in her head from whatever weapon used to knock her out in the first place. The last thing she remembered was going to the barn for the watering can…

Now she was bound, and face to face with the very vampire they had been discussing all evening. Kol had the face of an angel. Had she met him on the street, with no knowledge of who he was, she'd have trusted him on his visage alone.

At the moment it brought her more fear than anything else, a fear so paramount that it clouded all the other thoughts darting through her mind and colliding with each other. What had just happened? How was she experiencing Tatia's memories? It was as mad as her captor was…


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi ladies and gents! I tried to get this one out sooner than I did the last one; but there was a hiccup as it ended up being 30 pages long! I cut a lot of it and am throwing it into the next chapter. It was hard deciding what to cut though! Bonus! I have most of the next chapter written because of it, lol. Maybe I'll make the next one short, so you'll get it faster.**

Kol and Elena**: **Don't worry, Kol doesn't die in this chapter g Thanks for the reply!

DammitimmaD: Kol is creepy, lol. I am so glad you loved the chapter! Thanks!

Beverlie4055: thanks so much!

Supernatural-girl17: Thanks a bunch! I am really glad that you're enjoying the story and hope you continue to!

Merri85: Thanks! Sorry for making you wait!

Lilylulurose: Thanks for your continued readership and responses! Damon is going to continue being Damon-like, which means shallow with the occasional insight, lol! Elena's reliving of Tatia's memories shall continue, but why it is happening is the question, while what it will do to Elijah is more puzzling g Kol is crazy, but the question is what drove him that way….

**Chapter Five: Personal Sacrifices**

"Really? No Vervain?" Kol shook his head, smile not disappearing from his face. "Are you sure, deep down, you didn't want me to take you and tie you up?" He stood up, looking tall and terrible to her. "I knew a wonderful woman, Ruth was her name, and she loved when I would tie her wrists together. It was a trust thing…and a pain thing."

Elena only half-listened to him though. Her mind was now reeling as she tried to take in the ghastly appearance of his room while simultaneously damning herself for pausing on the vervain, in case Stefan needed her blood to get him through his current predicament. Kol's room was reminiscent of Stefan's madness when he was on human blood. Stefan kept names, Kol apparently kept drawings and pictures. They were everywhere, with little notes and arrows drawn on the wall.

But one painting, the one of Anna and Pearl on the wall from the 1860's is what really caught her attention. What was he doing with that? The rest were all of drawings of his family or pictures of the people of Mystic Falls currently. What did he want with two dead vampires? "From the look on the television, things have only gotten more exciting with time. So I think that fun people like her are everywhere now. Though I'm sure there's still a little hush about it, you know? We do like to keep our secrets."

He sat down on the bed and stared at her, still smiling, eyes still jovial and light. "I'm sure you have secrets, right?"

"Everyone has them."

He laughed, and she wondered what was so _funny_ about what she said. "I'm so glad you're here. I mean, it feels just like yesterday that I was in this very position with Katerina. But she was such a disappointment. You though." He pulled his head to one side, but kept his eyes trained on hers. "You're the real deal, my friend. You're what I was waiting for."

"What is that? The real deal of what?"

Kol got up and squatted down right in front of her, invading any space that would have left her comfortable. "And ruin all my fun?" He asked with a laugh, "I simply cannot answer your questions. You see, I have been having such a tough time of it, and this is my main source of enjoyment right now. A distraction. You understand."

"I'm not a toy or a game, Kol. I'm a person."

He smirked, "I've never found those to be mutually exclusive."

She took a deep breath and tried another tactic, "I know you hate Tatia, but I'm not her. I'm Elena."

"Hate Tatia?" Kol asked, and he chuckled again. In a flash he was back on the bed, sitting Indian style, with his elbows on his knees and his chin being propped by his hands. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

She tried to keep her head clear and calm as she answered, all the while her eyes taking in her surroundings, looking for an escape. "Elijah told me."

"That has always been his problem. He assumes so much without having all the information. The poor lad." He raised an eyebrow, "you do too though, do you not, little dove? Right now you're looking for escape, so certain that I will not be letting you go. But, you see, I have every intention of letting you go. That, in fact, is the point." He sat up straight and folded his hands together on his lap. "Although, you could use a longer break from your life. It must be so exhausting having so many be in love with you."

"How is letting me go the point? She asked, disregarding his pot shot and going for information that might help her. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

"Of course, is it really love? I'm sure you assume it is, right? Despite the face that you share the face of the one they _used_ to love." He drew his brows together in a mock puzzled expression. "Can you love the same kind of love differently?"

"You're talking in riddles, you're trying to confuse me."

"Do you like riddles?" Kol asked her with what Elena could only describe as _giddiness_. "My sister and I would play as children, but two can only trick each other so many times, and eventually there was no riddle we could get past the other." There was an aching wistfulness in the way he said it so that a well of compassion started to pool before inside her, much like the one she had felt for Rebekah….before having to stab her in the back. Elena squashed down those sentiments, just as she had for his sister. Survival demanded it. "But you," He looked at her slyly, "you wouldn't know any of my riddles, would you? No. You wouldn't have a clue; I'm an anachronism here. "

"What do I get if I know the answer?"

"The joy of solving a riddle." He answered seriously. "What other reward would you need?"

"How about if you let me go, if I get it right?"

He sighed, "I'm already letting you go, remember? If you're going to solve my riddles, you might want to pick up the pace. They're not always easy, you know."

"I'm not playing your riddle game."

"A girl and her big sister are sitting around the table chatting. 'you know, sis, if I took away two years from my age and gave them to you, you'd be twice my age, huh?" The other one states; "Well, why don't you just give me one more on top of that? Then I'll be three times your age. Tell me, how old is each sister?"

His calmness brought forth a surge of frustration, anger and fear. "Why did you kidnap me, Kol?"

"To give you a present." He didn't seem upset at her outburst, and his tone was reasonable. "It's around your neck. _Always keep that stone on your person._" Her hand moved to feel a flat stone hanging on a delicate chain around her neck. She let her whole hands enclose it before nodding that she would never take it off. "It's beautiful, you'll see when you look in the mirror. _If one inquires about it, you bought it a few years back, you don't remember when or where. You are simply overjoyed that you found it again._"

That made sense. She was always losing and finding jewelry. The only piece she had ever been specifically careful with was the pendant Stefan had given her. "It's a Laguz rune. Do you know what that is?"

"Oh. Hell. No."

Elena heard it before the door burst open and Rebekah was staring at them in horror and dismay. "Kol, what the-" She made an angry noise and scowled. "Are you daft or mad? Or is it worse, brother? Are you both?"

Ten steps seemed like one, and he was in front of her. "I wish you hadn't seen this."

"Me too, Kol, me fucking too. You know why? Because this little human happens to be the vampire drug of choice around here. I mean there are the Salvatore brothers, of course. I won't be surprised if their obsession ends rather illicitly, if you understand my meaning. Then there are our brothers, Elijah has some strange curiosity regarding her and Nik, well, we all know Elena's way to his heart." Rebekah's gaze landed on her and Elena felt a chill. She hated how this woman regarded her, but she couldn't find it in her to blame her for some reason. Elena only needed to look at Rebekah to see that something in her was very, very broken. "Not that I really blame her for the Salvatore thing, I mean they are both phenomenal in the sack."

"Lovely, Rebekah. Your manners are impeccable." He replied sarcastically and shook his head.

But Elena knew that cutting remark was not for her own brother, it was aimed at Elena, it was meant to slice through _her_ heart. It didn't. But she was reconsidering the whole steaming hatred thing.

"My point _is_," She told him through her teeth, "that at the moment there is a big fucking alliance going on in this town. Elijah, Klaus, probably that annoying little witch that keeps beating Nik at his own game, and the Salvatore idiots. You know the common factor of their little coalition? I'll give you a clue. She's kidnapped and in our fucking home, Kol."

"Actually it's the Lockwood's, not ours." Kol said nonchalantly, "and don't sweat it, Beks. She's been gone less than two hours. I used that _cell phone_," he said awkwardly, "and I sent a message telling Damon and Stefan saying she had to write a paper she forgot about." Kol went on, but before Rebekah could interrupt with a protest, he was continuing. "Then I had our new friend Ronnie give us a paper for Elena to turn in. We changed the date and the title. Then we printed it out…and so when she gets home, no one will even question it. I even compelled her school teacher into asking for the paper from her tomorrow." He sounded so amused by what he was saying, like it was all some kind of game…but a game that he seemed very good at.

Elena needed to do something.

Then it dawned on her.

"Elijah didn't join this meeting to protect me." She told Rebekah squarely.

Kol was smiling, "oh, this ought to be a knife in the heart."

"It was for you, Rebekah." She said sincerely, "Klaus and Elijah want to protect you from him. Rebekah, they're worried about you. Look at him, he is clearly unbalanced. They're right. He could get you hurt, Rebekah, he could hurt you." She wasn't lying. Kol _terrified _ her now. He was clearly insane and anyone around him could easily become hurt because of that. However, the truth in her statement was simply icing on the cake. She would have said just about anything to get Rebekah to help release her. No matter how many times Kol told her that he would let her go, she didn't believe it.

"Kol would never hurt me." Rebekah said in a waspish manner. She seemed certain of it, like somewhere that was written in stone. "Stop your games."

"I'm not playing games." Elena told her eagerly, "Elijah wants you back in his life, Rebekah. Klaus does too…he just sucks at everything; and I guess that includes his relationship with you."

"She's probably right." Kol sighed heavily, "You and Nik do have that really weird bond."

"You mean the one where I try to leave him, but never really can because either I forgive him or he has staked me and put me in a coffin? _That _weird bond?" There was no mistaking the bitterness in her voice.

"Hm." He glanced at her, "there are places that can help you with that kind of insanity." His musing came with a chortle.

"I'm not forgiving, Nik." She told Elena crossly.

Elena let her eyes settle on Rebekah though, she kept at the weakest part of the chain. "But what about Elijah? He has never hurt you in such a manner. How can you be his enemy?" Elena pressed, not willing to give up so easily. "Rebekah, think, you'll have what you want. You'll have your brothers."

She looked back at Kol and when Elena followed her gaze, she was surprised. She hadn't known what to expect from him, but would have been certain understanding was _not _ the expression there. Yet, it was. He looked passive and agreeing, like he was about to nod. "No." She said, "maybe one day I can repair things with Nik and Elijah, but at the moment…"

"We have a common interest, you see." He glanced at her sideways for her to share the joke. She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled.

It was in that moment, when her eyes fell on the painting that sat between the siblings, that Elena's mind began working for the first time since she had woken from her strange dream. _Because so far it sounds like he was obsessed with some slave girl and did anything to possess her. _Damon's words were loud and clear in her mind. Then she remembered that on his rug there had been three bodies, _Return her to me. _

Elena looked from Rebekah, then back to Kol. _It wasn't just my parents on that boat; there were different people. People that they conquered along the way, or slaves they already owned_. Isn't that how Elijah put it? Her eyes flew back to the painting that had begun the whole line of thought. Ay_anna_.

_Anna._

"She's dead." Elena blurted out unthinkingly. "Anna died. Damon watched her die."

Kol glanced behind him at the painting and smiled, "well, you're a clever thing."

"You're just mad enough to fall for her too, aren't you, Kol?"

He laughed, "Beks, you know doppelgänger isn't my type."

Elena frowned, and ignored Rebekah and Kol's arguing about her. "Damon and Stefan can't return someone who is dead."

"No, but Jeremy can." The sound of her brother's name on Kol's lips sent an icy chill down her spine.

Elena ran this over in her mind, "You want him to talk to her for you? Is that it?" She asked him, "he can't bring her back though, he can just give you messages from her." At the shake of his head, she looked to Rebekah, who shook her head.

"Are you finished here, Kol? Can we _please_ get her out of here before we have a mob of people with torches and pitchforks outside?"

"Absolutely, Beks." Kol told her with a smile, but it faded as his gaze moved back to her. Elena felt uncomfortable in it, as though she were being sized up and found lacking. "You think it must be wonderful to be so loved; but I promise you that it is no luxury. It is a curse, Beks. _She's_ cursed."

Finally Rebekah's gazed settled on her too, and Elena could practically see revelation wash over her face. A smile followed, "then you should rid this home of said curse, brother."

And with a toss of her golden locks, she gave him a nasty look and stalked off.

Kol leaned down so that their faces were close, "It's okay, little girl. I'm cursed too."

She could only stare back at him, mouth entirely dry, thinking that he was right. She was cursed; and at that moment she wondered if their curses were linked. She glanced at Rebekah who was looking down at her brother with sorrow and pity. She didn't dare ask about it though, for fear that her voice would betray her utter alarm. He gave her an unsettling smile, that Elena felt was almost a bearing of teeth more than anything else. "Come, little girl. Let's get you to the library before it closes. We can even have a chat; you can tell me everything I want to know. It'll be fun!"

XXX

The music was soft and light in the background. It was a live string quartet.

They had arrived shortly before Damon and Elijah left. They set up on the patio outside while Caroline had listened to the final preparations of Damon's seduction. Caroline wasn't sure she was comfortable with what they were doing, having been one of Damon's casualties in this game. She wasn't fond of Rebekah by any means, but it felt _wrong_ somehow to be a part of this. It felt like a betrayal.

But that was preposterous. She owed Rebekah nothing and she was not one to fall victim to an overactive conscience. She was Caroline Forbes and she knew that sometimes _playing_ fair and honest was like asking to be _played_.

After Klaus showed Damon and Elijah out, he glanced over at the sliding doors to the patio. "I did that for you." He told her with a sly smile, "I ensured that they would come in time for Damon to see them, in time to see my present for you."

She wished it didn't, but it brought a surge of pleasure. Petty as it was, Caroline wanted Damon to see that she deserved great treatment, that she was _special_. It wasn't a part of her that she was proud of, but it was there. Klaus seemed to enjoy that side of her though, and so she wasn't so embarrassed to show it then. "Thanks. The look on his face was priceless."

He chuckled lazily, and walked over to the doors. He slid one open and Caroline walked outside to see the men in their tuxes all set up. There were two violin players, a cellist, and a violist. They were frighteningly similar in appearance. All with dark hair, styled similarly with hair gel, the same tuxes and the same, equable expressions.

The patio itself was cleared off entirely outside of where the quartet was.

There were two trees on either side of the patio though and in their branches were little twinkling white lights. The lights also wrapped around the doorway to the house and the edges of the patio stone. Never in her life had she known someone who would arrange such an event for her own private pleasure, and she found herself rather enjoying the attention she was getting from him.

She looked around, then back at him. "Is it normal for a sociopath to be a hopeless romantic?" She asked with her eyebrows raised.

He smiled, "I do nothing half-way in life, Caroline. To do so would be dabbling in mediocrity."

"Heaven-forbid." She rolled her eyes.

The music began to slowly play, a tune Caroline didn't recognize. "So Miss Mystic Falls, would you do me the honor of a dance?" He offered a bow.

Smiling, Caroline gave him a slight, shallow curtsey and took his extended hand as he led her into the center of the patio. They began one of the few dances that she had learned as a contestant for Miss Mystic Falls, knowing that at least this performance would be flawless. It had been fun to learn the dance, and she had badgered her mother to allow her to take classes to learn more; but there had never been any time. "Did you enjoy tonight, Caroline?" He asked as they moved apart, then together again.

She smiled, "parts of it, yes. Damon squirming, for one."

"I thought you would appreciate me sending him on an errand of futility. He has no chance with Rebekah, you realize this, right? She handles rejection unfavorably." He moved past her to the left, as she shifted to his right, dipping her skirt as she held it. "He'll fail at this, as he will fail at capturing the heart of your friend. It was a gift for you. Did you like it?"

She regarded him thoughtfully, turning over her thoughts on how she did not want Rebekah to suffer the same fate she had. "And you're really sure that Rebekah will turn him down?"

"Undoubtedly." He scoffed, "he admitted that he held no regard for her whatsoever. She won't forgive him that."

They moved across the floor, walking side by side before facing each other while she did a mock curtsy and he a shallow bow. "Then yes. I appreciate and accept the gift. Him falling flat on his face with a woman would serve him entirely right."

He moved his hand out of the dance, so that he could smooth a strand of her hair away from her face. She allowed herself to stare into his eyes, the color of the agate stones in the bracelet Elena had given her when they were fourteen. She wondered what he was thinking as he stared back; did he want to kiss her. If he tried, was it too soon to let him? Would she give her game away then?

Was it wrong of her to want him to?

Of course it was. She admonished herself for the last thought. Klaus was evil- and what would that make her if she wanted him?

"Are you trying to buy me, Klaus?" She asked lightly, "the musicians, the gift of Damon's failure- do you think I'm for sale?"

"Mmmm, wouldn't that make this easier, love? But no." He shook his head as they walked around each other again in the dance. "No. I've done all this so I could see you smile, nothing more nefarious than that, I promise."

All this for a smile?

"And I've been properly rewarded for my efforts." He assured her, smirking, "you're practically glowing, Caroline. As it should be, of course." He stopped their dance and held her in place, looking down at her with a gentleness that she was not quite prepared for. She wet her lips, mouth feeling dry and uncomfortable as her nerves began to tense. "This is how life should make you feel, as though it is a present simply waiting to be opened. Are you ready to open that gift yet, Caroline?"

She found herself blinking owlishly at him, not knowing what to say. She felt off-put, like the game was now lost because she had no idea what to do. A moment ago she had been a valuable player and now she was relegated to a blinking school-girl on the arm of a lion. He smiled at her inability to speak, "am I the first to render such a girl speechless? I've impressed myself then, and that is quite the accomplishment."

She found her tongue, "and you are very accomplished." She said softly; "you always get what you want."

"Not always," he looked behind her into the darkness, "I don't have my family by my side."

"What a coincidence," she put in dryly, "I don't either."

He looked like he was considering her words, then tilted his head forward in what might have been interpreted as an apology. However, Caroline was just as stubborn as he, and would take nothing but words spoken. "You could bring her here," was his suggestion, "there is plenty of room, of course, and she would be safe as houses."

Caroline didn't bother responding. The explanation of him being a psychopath and her not trusting him would ruin the romantic moment and spoil the game. She didn't need a setback. She needed him to trust her, to be vulnerable, so that she could find his weakness and exploit it. Klaus needed to be stopped. She was suddenly interested in history, in how many other women had been in this same position as her. How well did they fare?

"What are you thinking about, love?"

She hadn't realized that they still weren't dancing and that she was the absolute center of his attention. Startled, she looked back up at him, certain that her blue eyes must be full of apprehension. "I can't say," was her cryptic response, knowing it would intrigue him.

Her goading resulted in the desired effect. "Are you considering my proposal of having your mother stay here?"

"I was not." She answered, "she is safe where she is, and I rest easier having her out of your grasp."

"No one is out of my grasp," he warned but his tone lacked the predatory snarl it often had when he threatened, "perhaps your entertaining thoughts on what it would be like to see life as I do? Ah, no, you're not quite ready for such a world yet. But you will be, Caroline. Trust that I know this."

"And how can you be so sure?" It was openly flirtatious and Caroline was gratified by an _almost_ embarrassed smile, though how sincere it was, she couldn't be certain.

They were locked there in that moment, eyes fastened on each other with neither looking to change the position. If she surged to her toes, she could easily press her mouth against his generous, inviting lips. He surprised her, however, by instead of kissing her, grabbing her hand and twirling her, ending it with the perfect catch and dip. She felt a giggle burst from her throat and he smiled. "Because you borne change well." He told her in answer, raising her back to an upright position. "Look how quickly you adjusted to what you are now, it takes other years, even decades to be at the point you are." He brushed his thumb against the bottom of her cheekbone, tilting his head to the side.

There was something rousing about the fact that he wanted her, that he who had lived a thousand years and had seen so much, wanted _her, _and for no other reason than the fact that she was who she was. She served no purpose to him, she could be no means to an end. "I'm sure you say that to all the vampires," she teased.

But his face was entirely serious. "I don't give false praise, love-" he stopped suddenly, pushing her behind him in an easy movement and standing as though he were poised for attack. It was then that she saw Tyler on the edge of the patio, looking fit and angry. "Where have you been, mate?"

"Out of town." He responded in something that almost sounded like a growl.

Klaus made an irritated noise himself, "I don't recall allowing you to leave."

"I don't recall asking."

"And why did you come back?" Klaus asked then, sounding less than amused. "Did you decide you couldn't live without me?"

"Not you." Was Tyler's stiff and angry response. Caroline recognized that tone and her heart fluttered with fear. His temper always got the best of him, and at the moment, with Klaus, that was the last thing she could have. His lost temper could easily mean his death. "Caroline?"

She stepped forward, feeling smaller having been in Klaus' shadow. Yet she held her head tall anyway, despite the deep desire she had to run away. This was not something she wanted to face head on, because she knew that she couldn't tell Tyler the truth. The moment she told him that she was trying to play Klaus, he was going to try and intervene, to protect her, and that would only end poorly for all involved. She was going to have to lie to him…

Worse, she was going to have to break his heart, which would also break hers.

He was so handsome, her Tyler. Skin such a sweet tan color, eyes that rich royal brown. Her mind fluttered back to the times that she gazed into them, wondering what they were to each other, the excitement that beat inside of her like a drum when he kissed her for the first time and she had slammed the door in his face. Loving Tyler had become as easy as breathing, even when she wanted to beat him senseless. Now all that was to be cast aside in an endeavor to conquer an evil that was way out of her league. _It's better this way, Ty. _She told him silently, _I am not even sure if I'm surviving this mess, I can't take you down with me. This was my choice. _But those were words that she dare not utter aloud.

"I'm so sorry, Ty." Her voice trembled with sincere tears and when she stepped toward him, holding her arms open in helplessness, "I didn't' want you to find out like this."

"Find out…what?" He looked from Klaus to her, then back again in surprise and uncertainty. He didn't see it at first, how could he? But then realization started to dawn on his face, clear as the sun rose in the sky and illuminated the world for all to see. "You're…joking, right? You and him?"

"So surprising?"

"Shut up, Klaus." She hissed at him, then stepped in front of Klaus so that she would obstruct Tyler's mere view of the Original. She didn't need him worsening this situation- if it could even get worse.

Which she doubted.

Because the pain on Tyler's face, the betrayal written there plainly was worse than a stake in her heart, yet less painful than seeing a stake through his. "It just happened," she began in explanation, trying to come up with some excuse that would make sense. She came up with several, but tossed them aside due to their absurdness. Finally, after a long pause that stretched between the three of them for what felt like an eternity, Caroline told him; "he…has shown me things that I never understood before, Tyler, a new way of living." She dared another step closer to him, and his eyes snapped back up to hers as he stepped _away_. "Please, Tyler…"

"N-no." He shook his head in refusal. "Caroline, he killed Elena's aunt. The only thing he can show you is evil."

"That's just it, Tyler. I don't think he _is_ evil- he's just different than you and I. He sees things differently." Now it was time for the one-two punch, the knock out that would convince him of her sincerity. "And maybe with some time he can see things more _my_ way. We'll change each other, Ty, in good ways."

"People don't change."

"We did." She observed honestly, "how long ago was it that you were just a guy with a temper, and I was only skin deep? We changed."

He started to speak, then stopped. He looked to Klaus with a pensive question, as if examining him for worth, or maybe looking for an answer, Caroline wasn't sure. "Is it his power? His strength?"

"Tyler-"

"Because I can fight that. I'm competitive and driven. If I put my mind to it, I can do it." He tilted his head sideways, and his eyes were filled with such sincere pain that Caroline had to put all of her will into not touching his face, not bringing him into her arms and stroking his hair, not comforting him. "But if this is something else, Care, if this is deeper than that…if…you can look me in the eye and tell me that this is what is going to make you happy. I'll walk away." His voice cracked at the end, and her heart cracked right along with it. "I'd do that for you, because I want you to be happy, it's all I ever wanted."

She closed her eyes, feeling a tear slip down her own cheek. "I'm…sorry, Ty. It is…deeper."

When she opened her eyes, he was already gone.

It felt like someone kicked her in the chest, she doubled over in a noiseless sob that raked her body. Tears slipped down until little droplets fell from her face to the ground.

Hands were around her shoulders, but she shrugged them off.

"He would have waited for you, love. Why didn't you let him?"

She looked at him, feeling the malice bubble up inside her and burst out like a hot spring. "Let him waste his life waiting for me? I don't even know if, at the end of this, you're going to let me live. You put your own family in coffins, Klaus." She spat out angrily, all of the rage and sadness directing itself at him. "I did what I could so that he could move on. Because that's what you do for people you love, Klaus. You'd know that if you understood what real love was." She wiped the tears from her cheek, held her head high and then shot past him into the house.

**XXX**

Jean-Baptiste Lully's Ouverture played softly in the background as Elijah stuck to his hiding place in the trees and watched as the dance between Niklaus and Caroline transpired. She was by no means an expert dancer, but for someone in contemporary society, she certainly was versed enough to please Niklaus. _He_ was, no doubt, trying hard to please her with his own effortless grace as he guided her on the floor, eradicating her mistakes with his expert footwork.

Elijah himself recognized the dance as one he had practiced many times. One moment in time, perfectly captured in his memory, was when Rebekah had stolen away from Niklaus. It had been one of her many outings from him, for they had fought often. It made sense, for how alike the two were.

"_It seems you have found me, sister." Elijah bowed to her, and she curtseyed back. "Have you come to return me to our brother?" _

_They immediately fell into step with the others as the dance began. He knew the steps better than any other and he had no doubt Rebekah would have an even better grasp of the moves, for she lived for social activities of exactly this nature. "Nothing would please me more than to return you to him, brother." She told him as she dipped low past him, coming back up as he did with a tiny, formal smile on her lips. "He has need of you."_

"_Yet no forgiveness for me." Elijah walked around her as she walked around him, before falling back on the line and then stepping forward towards her. He was right that she knew the moves, and with the grace of an expert. "I feel as though if I were to return, I would be meeting my demise instead of a happy reunion, sis." _

_Their hands touched as they turned again, fingertips grazing each other's lightly. "Perhaps instead he will find delight in seeing you and forgiveness will come with time." _

_He wished for her to be right. He missed and longed for the relationship that he had with his brother. He missed the time that they spent with Rebekah. He knew better. There had been a time when he would have sacrificed all for his Niklaus and Rebekah, a time when he believed they would do the same for him. He sincerely felt that he would still sacrifice much for his sister, but he could not succumb to this one wish. "Ask me for anything else, and it will be yours." He told her, "but do not ask this of me." _

"_I wish for our family to be reunited." Rebekah insisted as they moved, "all of us."_

"_Even Kol?" _

"_Yes." She nodded, then turned. He turned next and they were facing each other once more. "All of us. Kol is here tonight, Elijah. I would not have found you without his aide."_

_As the dance finished, she gave him another curtsey and he gave her a bow. Soon she was intercepted by another and ready to dance again. Elijah left the floor to go outside and appreciate the night air. It suited him to be cloaked by darkness while he processed what she had asked. _

_Could he do it? Could he return to his brother? Could they all be a family again? _

_No. Fear kept him from such a destination. Niklaus was stronger than he was, and more likely to aim for the most vulnerable parts of him. His brother had a cruel streak that Elijah found he could not emulate. There would be no solace there for him, there would be no family that Rebekah wished. _

Elijah was brought back to reality as a fight was soon laid out before him. The Lockwood boy had come to see that his love was now in the arms of the creature he despised.

This was not his drama to watch and would give him no pertinent information on his brother. Deciding that the proper action was to leave, Elijah silently slinked into the shadows and made his way back to the Gilbert home.

**XXX**

_I went to the library instead, forgot about a paper I had to write. Could you take care of the garden? _

Damon rolled his eyes before stuffing the phone in his pocket, deciding to ignore the text and request from Elena. Of course, this was the fifth time he looked at it, so maybe ignoring wasn't the right adjective. He tried to keep his focus on the scotch in his hand instead. It deserved his full attention after the day that he had, and he would give it nothing less.

Seducing Rebekah

That seemed difficult, after all, he _had_ seduced her once for information and she _knew_ that. Even with insider information, it seemed an impossible task, even for him. He shook his head, trying to not add to his anger by thinking of just how okay Elena was with him seducing Rebekah. Her reaction to him sleeping with her the first time hadn't gone over as well. He felt like he was losing ground with her…and all the while he didn't think Stefan was gaining any ground.

When he arrived at the mansion, he filled Stefan in on all that happened at the dinner, and how he was the main event of their "big plan." In his opinion, it was all bullshit and he said as much to his brother. "They don't even have a real plan, Stefan. So far it's just, oh, throw Damon at her and convince her to switch sides." He rolled his eyes and poured himself a brandy, "they're terrible Vikings. Why don't we just stake his ass and throw him in the ocean. Oh, look at that, problem solved."

"Elijah is not going to allow any member of his family disposed of." Stefan pointed out, "so you can just put that dream away."

Damon sat down on the arm of the chair and shook his head, "we won't convince her that the brother who wants to keep her in a coffin is the right side for her to be on, Stefan. Hell, _I_ don't think it's the right side to be on. In fact, I think _this_ side wants Elena dead more than _that_ side." He made an exaggerated movement of his arm.

Stefan was nodding, looking just as dissatisfied with the situation as his brother was. "So what are you saying though?" Stefan asked, "do you think we should defect? Go see what Kol's side was up to?"

"The only side that I trust is _our_ side, Stefan. I'm saying we play both sides."

A knock on the door took them from their conversation. Stefan walked toward the door, then stepped aside as Alaric and a rather dissatisfied Bonnie entered the mansion. She kept her eyes on Damon, with an anger in them that he felt he didn't totally deserve. After all, he had given her mother eternal life to keep Elena alive, and it was Abby who decided that she was going to keep that life.

What choice had they really been left with? It was Elijah that should hold the brunt of the witch's anger. But Damon was used to misdirected anger. Ric, however, was far more open to Damon's presence and greeted him with more enthusiasm.

In a few moments they were settled into the sitting room, around the fire place and Bonnie was explaining what she and her cousin had been trying to do to help Ric. They had been working with a coven of witches, looking for a way to help Ric banish the dark side of that kept taking control. There had been no luck, and in fact his hatred of vampires was becoming viral in the coven. He had practically convinced _them _to help him eradicate all vampires.

So she and Lucy had decided to take Ric back to Mystic Falls and pursue another method of assisting the history teacher. They needed help though, and more to the point of the visit, they needed a safe place to stash Ric until he was better.

Damon found that damnable room in his basement way too convenient sometimes. He agreed to help take care of his friend, and as far as Damon was concerned, that was to be the end of the conversation.

Instead Stefan began explaining the goings on in Mystic Falls. When he was finished, Bonnie glanced over at Ric who was shaking his head in disbelief. "You mean that Elena is trusting Elijah _and Klaus?"_

Stefan nodded at him.

"And Caroline is now living with Klaus?" Bonnie added the question with complete dismay and shock. It seemed to have shaken her so much that her disdain for them was taking a backseat to it. "But she could get herself killed that way, and is she really protecting anyone? Klaus is not exactly Mr. Honorable." She folded her hands on her lap and looked sideways at Ric, who was looking back at her with a sour expression. She turned her gaze back to Stefan and sighed heavily, "is Elena trying to do anything to get Caroline away from Klaus?"

Damon snorted, "yeah right. She's supporting her friend's decisions." He shot a dubious glance at Stefan who was spending a lot of time _not_ looking back at him. "Which works out so well, doesn't it, _brother_?"

"Well we have to fix this." Alaric threw in, as though trying to divert a fight with the quickness and urgency of his tone. "We have to get Caroline _and_ Elena away from them. When Originals are involved, it is never good."

Bonnie nodded in agreement, then looked at Stefan and Damon with a dark, though unreadable expression, as though she was contemplating something. "Then we work together. We fix this."

Damon rolled his eyes, and said sarcastically; "Oh goodie, something new."

XXX

Jeremy watched her face as she stared off into the sunset. There was a wistful smile on her lips, as she leaned back, using her arms to keep her up while her legs dangled off the rock and into the water. They had been quiet for a while. He had described Kol to her, via Elijah's description. He had told her how he had killed at least two as a human, more as a vampire, how he was frighteningly smart….and he told her about Ayanna, who Jeremy was now convinced was the very girl _he _himself loved.

When Jeremy had asked about the slave-girl, Elijah had not known much. He knew that she was entirely loyal to Kol, no matter how many proposals of alliance he threw in her direction, which he said had been many, the slave-girl had never strayed from Kol's side, nor her mother's. Outside of that, Elijah knew very little about her. She and eventually been sold by Kol's mother to what Elijah described as a primitive form of a brothel.

Less than a year later, once the Originals were born into their vampire life, those in that brothel were dead.

Much like when he told her about what he knew of her life before, Anna didn't really react. She passively listened, every once in a while she nodded to show that she was paying attention.

He was sitting next to her, their hands next to each other on the rock as they relaxed and waited for the sun to go down completely. The quiet was nice, comforting, and he found himself drawing warmth from it. He took that feeling where he could get it, after all, things had been so messed up for so long, that strange was beginning to feel normal.

He and Anna felt right, anyway.

He was happiest with her, or when he was with Elena and Elijah. The last few days with them had felt like a family was beginning to form. Although, to be honest, he did miss Alaric, who had felt very much like the older brother he had never had. He told Anna all of this. He poured it into her like she was an empty glass, waiting to be filled. She seemed to understand, though having no background to relate it to. "Family is important," she told him when he finished, "I'm sure you know that better than anyone, considering your parents death." He noticed that she spoke more on his life then her own.

"I've tried to contact them so many times since I learned I could talk to the dead." He admitted to her, feeling relieved to finally tell someone about the secret he had been too afraid to even tell Elijah about. Anna, however, even without her memory, was a safe place to confide. She knew how to keep a secret. "But I couldn't. I never could. I can't even talk to Jenna. I've tried."

"Maybe you can only talk to restless dead?" She offered, "or people who needs to contact you."

"Maybe." He hedged with a frown, "and I would hate to think of my parents being where you were. You were so lonely. After you walked away, I…I thought of you so many times, trying to get you back, Anna. I couldn't handle the idea of you being there, all alone…" He swallowed hard, and it went down painfully. The memory of how he felt with her gone was daunting, even with her right beside him.

She put a hand over his and he dropped his gaze to where their skin was touching. "Your parents must have moved on, Jeremy. Try not to think about it in any other fashion."

When he raised his eyes to her face, he saw a sympathetic smile, but it seemed hollow, like there was nothing behind it. It startled him, and he found himself searching for something, any trace of emotion.

There was none.

"Thanks," he said uncertainly, then tore his face from hers. Perhaps it was from the amnesia that she had no real sentiment, or was it something more? Had she purposely shut off her emotions, and if she had, why? He debated on asking her this, and wondered how he would put the question. More than that, he wondered if he really wanted the answer to the question. How had he not noticed this lack of emotion before? His Anna had been nothing if not passionate…

He hadn't wanted to see that though. He, instead, had drown in her reemergence in his life, in her sarcastic wit and her lively personality. She was fun, like she had always been and smart as she once was. He had let that blind him to what lay beneath the surface. Even now though, when he was sure she had no feeling for him, no feeling for anything, he wanted her. He loved her. He knew that there would be no one that he would ever love like he loved her either. He had experienced losing her, thinking that it held the permanence that death would hold, and that kind of _ache _could not be replicated, it created a vacuum of emotion inside him. Even Bonnie's willing him back to life, rejecting her ancestors to give him breath, could not stir the emotion in him that Anna did.

He looked back at her, "you don't love me."

"Jeremy-"

He cut her off with a kiss, pressing his mouth against hers as tightly as he could, as though he could will the feeling of love, or any feeling, back into her. He felt her mouth move against his, her cool lips pressing back, parting his mouth open in invitation.

He touched a smooth chilly cheek with his thumb, brushing it up and down as they kissed in a sweet manner, but she was not sweet. Her hand went through his hair, pulling slightly as she moved with lightning speed to straddle him. He was still sitting, and she sat on his lap, legs around his body, she cupped his face with her hands before bringing her lips down on his again with crushing strength. Maybe she was expecting him to crumble underneath her force, using that to absolve him of the sweetness and turn it into nothing but lust.

It didn't hurt him like he thought it would. He used as much force as he could muster to kiss her back, taking her soft waves into his palm then encircling them into a fist and tugging her head backwards as he tightened the slack grip of his arm around her waist so that she was pressed against him.

It was an exercise in futility and he knew it. As long as her emotions were off, he would never succeed in making her love him.

But this, he could savor this like a prayer, a hope, a dream and he was going to.

Because _not_ doing this? Well...that was simply impossible. As impossible as their relationship was.

He curved in his head to touch his lips to her neck, on the pulse point where she would feed if their situations had been reversed. Her skin was so smooth and salty beneath his lips and his tongue darted out to taste more of her. It was like before she had ever went away, when there was never enough of her to sate him. He should have known then that he was doomed, but when it came to emotions, he had always been slower than the rest, he never greeted them head on like his sister had. But then her body was gone from his and she was across the clearing and into a tree- he found it odd that she always retreated to a high place. With her gone, and in her cool place the warmth of the air, he felt empty and alone. He hated himself for it, maybe as much as he loved her.

"I'm sorry, Jer. I can't do this to you."

"What exactly are you doing to me?" He asked, climbing to his feet and touching his swollen lips, "nothing I don't want."

She looked wild in that tree branch, as she should look given what she was. It was strange, but no one quite _seemed_ like a vampire as much as she did, no one seemed as inhuman, as someone who didn't quite belong to this world. Even Elijah seemed fairly human to Jeremy. But not Anna, who looked more elfin than mortal, which was only enhanced by her perfect balance on that branch and the way her hair moved in the wind. "I don't love you."

"You turned it all off." He accused, "you couldn't love anyone right now, Anna. You turned off your emotions."

"I had to." She said so softly that he scarcely was able to make out the words. "I should go. I should leave town."

"Without knowing who you are?" Jeremy asked, not believing it. "Leaving without answers? Why?"

"Because maybe the answers aren't ones I might like, Jeremy. You may not like them either." There was no room for dramatics in her statement. Her eyes, like onyx jewels, glistened. Her face was a careful mask of calmness. "Because that terror of Kol only lasted for those first few moments…and it was replaced by something I didn't understand." She shook her head, "I don't think I was trapped by him."

The weight of what she said rested on his own shoulders and brought forth all of the thoughts that he had been pushing back since her return. It would have been stupid of him not to wonder what her connection to them was, why she returned from the _dead_, and why her memories were gone. He often thought that maybe she was part of their group somehow…part of them…

He stepped toward the tree that kept space between them, wanting to tell her this, to expound on all his trepidations so that at least he was being honest with her.

But whatever it was that they were to say to each other, it was trapped in his throat because now Kol stood between them, as though appearing from thin air. He grabbed Jeremy by the shoulders and it was all agony. His hands were terrible vices and, helplessly Jeremy let out a sound of pain. "So you're the little gnat in my way." Kol's teeth were large and white, Jeremy felt he looked more wolf than vampire but he knew it was the result of an over active imagination. "Well, it seems, like with most of life's obstacles, I must overcome you…does it not?"

XXX

Caroline was wrong, he knew what love was.

He did. It was others who did not. He knew how to love, sometimes he loved with everything in him until it hurt so badly that he felt like dying.

So he shut it off and he punished people for hurting him. But they didn't go away forever. Well, Finn did, but that wasn't his fault. In fact, if they had left Finn in his coffin, Klaus would still have a chance of reuniting him with the family. They could have all lived happily ever after.

Klaus paced the confines of his bedroom as he thought these thoughts, hurt and angry at her accusations.

His pacing stopped as the door to his bedroom opened and Caroline stood in front of him. She had been crying. Her makeup was gone and there were tear stains on her cheeks. She wore a long white nightshirt with little red hearts on blooming from the bottom right corner and moving up diagonally across; her hair was pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head- and she never looked more beautiful. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." She said in a hoarse whisper, voice rough from the tears she had spilled. "I agreed to be here with you, this was my choice and so it wasn't really fair of me to blast you like that." She pulled her arms around her, and looked away. "I just wanted to tell you that."

She started out of the room and he found his words coming out in a stream, in an effort to keep her there, to absolve himself, who the fuck really knew? But they came out anyway, all in a feverish rush like he couldn't have stopped them, even if he had wanted to. "You were wrong you know. I do know love. You think that…I put Rebekah in a coffin because she was going to leave me. I mean, in the twenties, when she wanted to go away with Stefan. I'm sure he told you. But…that isn't why. It wasn't because I was going to be alone," He tilted his head to the right in consideration, "or not all of it, anyway. Rebekah, my baby sister, is like…a caged bird. She was raised in captivity, always protected and fed, she never had to fend for herself. She never had to fight her way away from predators. " He tried to read Caroline's expression, but she was keeping her eyes from him. "If I had left her with him, Mikael would have caught them and killed them both. I couldn't have that, but she wanted freedom and she'd have nothing less if I hadn't staked her. So I did. And I was alone because of it, anyway. But what kept me sane, I guess, was that we'd together again. I would wake her up and we'd be a family."

Finally she looked at him, but her eyes were indiscernible. Her expression was passive and calm as well. She took a step toward him, then reached out and intertwined her fingers in his, giving his hand a firm, but comforting squeeze. Their gazes met and she gave him a soft, sweet half-smile that made him think of spring-time and life.

For a moment he thought that maybe she understood. Maybe she was the only one who could.

XXX

"Are you permitted to go out into the woods on your own, Tatia?" Elijah asked, falling in step beside her. She had not heard his steps, and so he startled her but she recovered quickly and gave him a smile full of mischief in answer. "Ah, I thought not."

"Are you hunting? What method do you plan on killing beasts with?" She motioned to his lack of weaponry and raised an eyebrow, "would you kill them with your bare hands?"

"Would that impress you?"

She laughed, feeling warmth at his flirtation, "you have no need to impress me."

"I want to anyway." He stepped quickly ahead of her, then turned and started walking backwards. He knew the forest well enough to evade trees and brush when needed, _that_ did impress her, but she kept it to herself. "Are you collecting food?" He motioned to the rather large basket in her arms. She nodded at him in answer and his smile broadened. "Then I shall accompany you and hasten your work so that we might walk together."

"Have you nothing to do?" She asked back, eyes glinting, "other than aide me, of course."

He grinned, gracelessly and effortlessly turning around so that he was at her side once more. He lifted the basket from her hands, and smiled. "I know of quite a few places where the fruit is ripe and practically untouched."

"How fortunate that you found me then."

"It is fortune indeed."

Her mood had already lifted at the sight of Elijah, and it soared at the idea of him walking with her. No one would find them on this walk, and so it was safe from the prying eyes of his family and hers. They chatted idly about how the hunts were turning up less and less food, how bodies had been found in the forest, mauled by wolves and other goings on in the village. They evaded gossip, which was distasteful to them both and finally landed on the topic of Niklaus, whose affections and attentions seemed to be rapidly growing. "I allow him to think his affections for you are dearer than my own at your urging. Say the word and my lips will no longer deceive."

"You must." She stopped to press her point home and searched his warm gaze for any sign that he would reveal their secret; well, whatever of a secret there was. They had done nothing but exchange words and longing glances. She could not go further, she would bring harm to her family, to those that she loved and she could never bring such misery upon them. "Elijah, you must never tell. Promise me. You must always allow Niklaus to think his feelings are stronger, that I prefer him."

She could see the sadness in his eyes, the hurt at what she said. It pierced her own heart as well, for she felt so deeply for Elijah. He was the nobler of the brothers, he was truly everything she desired. It was so unfair that what she wanted was right before her, ready for her to grasp it and own it; yet she could not. Her fear of Esther was so pronounced that even the idea of it sent shivers of terror down her spine.

If she would have any of them, it would be Niklaus, as Esther wanted.

So she would have neither.

Sighing, Tatia closed her eyes, trying to hold back her emotions. The last few weeks with Elijah had been lovely. Their stolen moments had made her feel more alive than she had ever felt before, and she longed to share the truth with someone, with anyone. But she could not.

"I vow to never share it then," he told her, and so she could breathe again. Air filled her desperate lungs and her entire body relaxed. "Have you not figured it out, yet? I can deny you nothing. You ask it, and I shall give it to you."

At that, she laughed and was grateful for his natural ability to lighten her mood. "Then I shall ask you for a hunting lesson, so that I too can provide my family with food. I too wish to hunt with my bare hands."

He laughed as they approached the best place to pick the bright red berries that Tatia used in several of the dishes she prepared for her family. "You are mighty enough for that." He affirmed with a grin that made her heart soar. "I would watch you take on a bear."

"Do you believe yourself to be a bear?" She flirted, her eyes shining at him.

He took her into his arms and pressed his forehead against hers. "I would be whatever it is you wanted me to be."

"Then be no more than yourself." She whispered back at him, flushed at his warm breath on her face and the feeling of his skin against hers. He wrapped his fingers in hers, rubbing his thumb against her skin and bringing more heat to cheeks. "For there is no other creature that could make me smile as you do, Elijah."

**XXX**

When Elijah called on Stefan, looking for Elena, a large part of him did not want to help the Original find anything; but his concern for Elena was infectious and outside of a text informing him that she was at the library, he had heard nothing from her. She could easily be missing, and Stefan's worry superseded his distrust of Elijah.

His fears were slightly quelled as he spotted Elena's car in the parking lot of the library. "You see?" Came his question to Elijah, "just as I said, she's here."

"My brother is mad, not stupid." Was the response Stefan received. "He could have easily placed this car here to appease our fears and give him more of a head start." Elijah stopped right before the stone steps and turned to Stefan, "you will find Kol to be clever; that was always his gift. Perhaps it was his curse as well."

"Would you really kill your own brother?"

"No." Elijah shook his head, "we will dagger him and put him in his coffin until we've surmised a way to control him."

Elijah turned back around and started up the steps. Stefan quickened his pace, following him into the building. Mystic Falls library was large and bright, a far cry from what it had been when Stefan was a boy. But it remained in the same location, and it had simply been expanded upon by the town's historical society, and used as a museum of sorts, with journals, books and the like on display to show the town's rich history and legacy.

They worshipped their past unknowingly in this town, built their lives on blood, tears and pain. Nothing good could come of that.

Stefan was struck suddenly with the knowledge that this town…it was cursed. The feeling was dark and foreboding and it overtook him to the point that, when at first he did not see Elena, he was filled with panic that Kol _did_ have her. That she was dead.

He was proven wrong as they approached a table where Elena sat. There were books around her, and her head rested on one of them. She must have fallen asleep while working and that was why she had not answered Stefan's texts.

Elijah approached her first, putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking gently.

She stirred, lifted her head slightly to look behind her and blinked rapidly. "Elijah?" She questioned in an accented voice, one so strange that it almost did not sound like hers at all. She reached up to him, turning in her chair completely as she brought his head down with her hand to touch her lips against his.

XXX

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! Let me know what ya think!**


	7. Chapter 6

So it's been a while. Sorry, ladies and gents! My computer died of old age and I ended up taking forever to get a new one because I couldn't find one I liked in my price range.

DammitimmaD : Well, I enjoy writing for Kol, so expect lots more!

Anonymous: Thanks! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

lilylulurose: Kol definitely has the romantic in him, glad that you noticed! You're not wrong at all! Thanks so much! Sorry this update took so long!

redbudrose: Thanks and glad you're liking it!

For those who have put this story on their favorites alert lists? Thank you! I hope you continue liking the story!

**Chapter Six: The Fight In You**

"Let him go." Anna's voice was cold and unfeeling. "NOW."

"I think not. He and I should play a little game, should we not, Gilbert?" Kol was smiling, and his white teeth flashed. "You want to keep her away from me."

"She doesn't want to be near you." Jeremy responded, feeling stupid for saying it since the vampire who had him could easily rip him apart. Yet the words came out anyway. "Obviously."

"Yes, because she lacks memory. Don't you, Ayanna?" He said louder so that she would hear him and know he was addressing her. "But somewhere deep within you, you recognize me." His smile was smug and confident as he turned his gaze on Jeremy. "When she has her memory back, there will be no question of where her loyalties will reside. You see, child, we are bonded by blood and magic. We always have been, always will be. Tell me, Jeremy, do you think you can change that? Do you think she would want you to?"

Jeremy didn't look at Kol then, his eyes went to Anna, who was watching them with a guarded expression.

"I said let him go."

"Oh, let's make a deal then." Kol cooed, and Jeremy could hear the bubbly tone he used. "Make a statement for me, _Ana_-_Bèl_. If I think the statement is true, I'll strangle him, if I think the statement is false, I'll rip out his heart." Kol's fingers around his arms tightened and Jeremy stifled a cry, but he could barely contain his fear when he felt Kol nuzzle against his neck, almost like a lover would.

She jumped in front of him, landing perfectly poised and completely calm.

Jeremy's heart was racing, his whole body would have been shaking if Kol hadn't been holding him so tight.

Anna smiled, and it looked just as wolfish as Kol's had looked. "You'll rip out his heart." She stated, staring him down with a triumphant expression. Then she was tearing Kol off of him and then whipping Jeremy across the woods as though he were some child's old rag doll. Apparently she didn't realize with what force she used, because Jeremy found himself airless against a tree trunk, hoping that she didn't bruise his spinal chord. When he was finally able to pay attention, she was already in an air kick, driving Kol to the ground as if she were a drill. He retaliated quickly, taking her ankle, turning it, and her, so that in one quick motion she was in the air and away from him. She propelled herself off a tree trunk, towards him again, missing his torso by a centimeter, bounding off the ground to aim a spinning kick at his head. He deflected it, tried to reverse the attack and grab her, but missed. "_Ana-Bèl_, there is no need for this quarrel, you succeeded in solving the riddle." He told her as he flipped her over when catching her foot in mid-air. "You were free to take him anywhere."

It was difficult for Jeremy's eyes to even keep up with their quick, almost airborne, battle. He was too stunned to do anything but though, because it was like a dance. He had never seen anything like it outside of sparring matches during his brief stint in Karate (which he failed due to his appalling lack of discipline). They battled but never hurt each other, always missing but just by a little. He had almost missed the fact that Rebekah was in the woods too, watching the display as he was. She wore a disturbing but pleased smile that left him feeling unsettled. Kol tried to grab her, but she ducked, spun out of his way, then grabbed him from behind so that her mouth was next to his ear. "Maybe I just want to fight."

"That's my girl." He easily escaped her grasp, by slamming his head backwards, which she missed, by thrusting herself backwards, having to let go of him to escape the blow.

Then Rebekah did something so shocking that he felt completely dumfounded. She tossed his crossbow, then the ammunition to go with it. In a second she was beside him, her cool lips by his ear. "Look at them, boy." She whispered in a throaty tone, "she needs help."

To Jeremy, it didn't look like she needed anything. _This must be what warriors looked like._ He thought, mind still numbed from pain and awe. He scrambled to his feet though, and pulled up the crossbow. He _could_ help her, and that was what he should do. Kol was impenetrable, but as far as he knew, Anna could very well be killed by him and perhaps a distraction would allow her to flee. So he aimed, kept a steady hand, listened to his own heart beating until that was his only focus.

A second after he shot; certain of where Kol was going to land as he tossed Anna towards the air, feet positioning themselves for the ground to give him balance and ensure a hit. Something told him that this was not going to end in a fashion that he wanted it to.

The arrow was snatched out of the air, broken in half and Jeremy felt the color drain from his face.

Anna had caught it, mid-air, just a heart-beat away from Kol's chest.

Everything stopped. Anna was looking at her hand like it had betrayed her, then dropping the arrow as though it were a poisonous snake. Kol was smiling at her, as if they were friends.

Then his gaze settled on Rebekah, who looked so incredibly pleased with herself that she resembled a cat who had just eaten a canary. _She expected this, _Jeremy realized with barely suppressed bitterness. _She knew that if I took the shot, Anna would protect, Kol. _

The way they had been fighting…now he understood what he was missing, the whole thing had looked synchronized, like they had planned it. But no, that didn't make sense. From the expression of confusion and horror on Anna's face, Jeremy was certain she was being honest about not knowing him. It hadn't been synchronized. She had just instinctively known how he would fight, as he seemed to know what moves she would make. It made him recall a lesson that they had in his Mental and Social Health class about muscle memory and how it was deeper than regular memories.

They were more than friends.

He looked to Anna who was probably coming to this realization herself, she looked to Jeremy, and that was all it took. A breath later he was in the air, higher than he remembered ever being, in a tree branch, than a higher tree branch, then another tree. She was _jumping_ from tree branch to tree branch with him in her arms, his legs hitting the branches because of how much taller he was than her. Nausea and fear rose up in him as she leapt, and he tried to stuff it down by thinking about how much he trusted her…

But he was suddenly questioning that trust, because of how she had saved Kol, how she _instinctively_ saved Kol, like it was as natural as breathing.

He knew so little about her before her time with Mystic Falls, and now…now he knew that she had some sort of closeness with that monster. But how close was she? What was she to him?

When she finally set him down, it was near the witch's house and his unease grew. Why did she bring him here?

"You saved him." Jeremy tried to keep the accusation from his voice, but found it to be impossible. "You know what he is, what he does- and you still saved him." Her eyes looked past him, over his shoulder it seemed, as though she didn't even hear what he was saying to her. "Do you remember?"

"I remember nothing." She said it as though she were spitting and he suddenly felt very badly for what he had just stated. He didn't have time to sputter out an apology though, because she was continuing. "But yes, I caught the arrow, it was reflexive…it was as natural as walking, or talking. It felt right." She walked again over the patted down grass, back and forth, back and forth, "and you…you don't know anything about me, you never did. You fell in love with a stranger. Tell me," she stopped and met his gaze directly, "tell me, did you ever give any thought to that? Did you ever wonder, late at night, if the girl you shared your bed with was a monster? Did you ever wonder how many lives that she, that I, had stolen?"

"Anna, listen-"

"I could have been, you know." She interrupted hastily, sounding agitated and less than rational. "Maybe that's why I saved Kol, maybe he was my partner, Jeremy. Maybe we tortured and killed people together."

He couldn't see it though, as hard as he tried, he just couldn't see Anna torturing someone. Hell, she had set out to _use_ and kill him, but in the end just couldn't do it. "That's not you." He finally got out.

But she was shaking her head, looking troubled. "You don't know that. You couldn't know that. You told me yourself that when I first met up with you, I tricked you. I lied to you. What's to say I never stopped?"

"Anna-"

"And what if he isn't my partner, Jeremy? What if he's my lover and the second my memories come back I run to him- worse, what if I kill you so that it is easier for me _to_ run to him?"

He reached out to her, but she jumped back as though his touch was poison. "Yes. Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I thought about it. How could I not think about it, given you kidnapped my sister? Given what you've done?" His voice was rising as his emotional state heightened. "Anna, you planned to kill me to get revenge on people who had been dead long before I was even born, people I didn't even know! I would be an idiot _not_ to think about what you are capable of." He grasped for her again, and this time caught her off guard; so that his fingers grazed her knuckles before she jerked away. "But I don't care- I don't care if you were Jack the fucking Ripper, Anna. I don't care if your Kol's lover- get it? You make me happy _now_. I'm happier than I've ever been and it's because of you, it's because you're back. So yeah, I thought about it, then I thought about _me_. Does that make me a shitty person? Yeah. But tell me, just because I'm a shitty person, does that mean you want to walk away from this?" He stepped toward her, but she didn't look receptive. Her body was tense and her eyes darted over him as though she were a trapped animal. He willed her to believe him, to understand his sincerity. "Anna, please-"

"Why did you forgive me for any of it, Jeremy?"

"I used you too. I wanted to be a vampire so I could chase after Vicki, so I could just…chase after more pain because until I met you, that was really all I was doing. Even when they compelled me to be happy I was still just chasing misery and loneliness." It was almost as if he were discovering this about himself for the first time. "You changed everything for me, Anna."

She said nothing, merely stared at him.

"Please, Anna. Turn it back on. Turn your feelings back on. _Please_."

"You saw." She whispered, "you saw how I fought him. Jeremy, I did it all on instinct, like a memory I can't grasp. He knew every move before I did, and I knew his. If I remember…if I get my memory back…"

"Then we'll deal with that when the time comes. Fuck tomorrow, Anna. I just want today."

"I want you to _have_ a tomorrow." She told him, and for a moment he thought it was coming from a place of love, that she was turning it back on and showing her feelings. It was impossible though, he knew that. Just like his love for her was, like it had always been, impossible. "And if I stay here, with you, then you won't have a tomorrow, Jeremy. I'll have repaid your every kindness with tragedy and _loss_."

He grabbed for her arm but she was too quick for him. "Does it matter what I want?"

She shook her head, "Not really. You won't want anything if you're dead. Then your sister will have lost you, and did you want that? Do you want her to lose the rest of her family?"

He had no answer for that, none that he could live with anyway.

"You'll move on," she assured him, "one day I'll just be a bad dream, you know? Give it time."

He shook his head slightly, "That you're wrong about."

She did not respond.

When he blinked, she was gone.

XXX

Her lips were warm, silky and soft. They pressed against Elijah's with a familiarity that stole him for a moment, that allowed him to open his mouth and lean into it. Her fingers slipped into the locks of hair on the back of his head, like they belonged there, like they had been there before and knew all the right places to touch.

He forgot, just for a moment, that it was Elena he was kissing, whom he never kissed before, because the person kissing him did so in such a way that it had to be an old lover, someone who knew just the way he should be kissed.

It was all madness really.

It was her who pulled away, and he opened his eyes to stare into her dark brown ones. There was confusion there, the dazed look of one on drugs.

"Elijah."

She said his name again, but in the breathy way that _Elena_ spoke. She was unmistakably herself, no matter how she had kissed him. Her hand went to her hair, sliding strands of it behind her ear as she blinked a few times, then started to gather her books, as though looking for something to do besides _stare _at him.

"Elena, what was _that?_" Elijah asked as the books spilled from her arms onto the ground. He moved to pick them up, but she put a hand in the air to stop him. Elijah found himself shaking his head, then he remembered Stefan and turned to say something to him. "Stefan I-"

But the young vampire was gone, and Elena's head snapped over to look for him. Guilt was written over her features as though she were a cheating spouse who had been caught. Then she shut her eyes tightly, and he saw her shoulders drop forward a little. "Oh no," it came out as little more than a breath of a sound, and he knew it had not been for his ears. Finally she looked up at him, sitting down amongst the mess of library materials on the ground. "He saw that?"

"Elena, I'm sorry."

"For?" She asked, putting a hand on her head, while letting her elbow rest on her knee. "You didn't do anything."

"I should have pulled away- I should have-"

"You were caught off guard." She interjected before he could finish his stammering of his guilt. "The girl who looks like a girl you loved just kissed you out of nowhere." She took her hand from her forehead so that their eyes could meet. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't even know why- I mean, I know why but…" She squinted her eyes in speculation and her brow was furrowed in an expression that revealed thoughtfulness and confusion. "I was dreaming about you."

As she started to climb to her feet, he picked up the books and then finally the travel drive. He handed the last item to her and she immediately, almost instinctively, put it into her pocket without sparing it so much as a glance. "Must have been some dream," he tried with a smile, but his attempt to lighten the mood went nowhere.

"We were in the woods. We were walking," she started past him, moving towards the door of the library as though it were calling to her. She didn't look back at him as she went, but simply continued speaking in a low, preoccupied voice. "I was carrying a basket because I wanted to pick berries."

"Berries." He repeated, falling easily into step beside her.

She nodded as she pushed the door to the library open. "I was…flirting with you, I think; asking you to help teach me to hunt."

He stopped her on the stairs, touching her arm, then taking a step to be beneath her. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "yes, I am."

"And how did I look, Elena?"

She reached out, almost touching a tendril of where his hair had been as a youth with her fingertips before snatching her hand back. There was nothing there now, but the faraway look in her eye told him that she still saw it. "Your hair was longer, with a braid in it." She closed her eyes, and he could have sworn there was the faintest hint of a smile touching those generous lips. "Your shirt was longer too, without sleeves…it looked like animal skin of some kind. Your skin…" there was a slight pitch change in her voice, "it was warm…like…"

"Like a human's." He finished for her, and her eyes snapped open to look into his. "Because Elena, that wasn't some dream…that was a memory. That was _Tatia's_ memory ."

**XXX**

The awkward silence between them retreated at the sound of knocking on their door. Klaus was out of the room and downstairs in an instant, opening the door to see Bonnie standing there, with a hand on her hip and a scowl on her face. His mood matched her expression, unhappy at the interruption between he and Caroline.

He would be hard-pressed to find another witch to suit his purposes and needs, he knew it would never be Bonnie, she carried the witch's usual _uppity_ personality trait. It was a shame really, because all it meant was that nary a witch would ever reach their potential. "She's upstairs." He glanced towards the stairs, "and she could use a friend right now. Tell her I'll be back later tonight. "

Her eyes lingered on him in distaste before she brushed past him and climbed the stairs, calling out her name.

He was being stupid, letting Caroline talk to a witch that wanted him dead. This was what he always meant when he told Elijah that emotions were weakness.

But he walked out the door anyway, leaving Caroline to her friend.

Mystic Falls always seemed calm and peaceful, a misleading environment for such a town. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks, and walked leisurely down the street, having nowhere to go, no goal to fulfill. His agenda, for the moment was empty, and it would be times like this that would often lead Niklaus into trouble. _Boredom for vampires,_ he thought with a weak smile, _ends up being quite the trouble for humans it seems. _

He turned down the block toward the main drag of Mystic Falls, where the shops and restaurants hoarded together to create what he used to call a market place. It was funny how things changed so much, yet remained fundamentally the same. He looked up at the night sky and remembered a time when seeing the stars had been so easy, but with the mask of artificial light, those days were gone. He almost longed for the past, letting himself forget about the amenities the present allotted. In the past things had been easier too, the world wasn't s connected, there weren't surveillance cameras everywhere. Technology made it difficult to keep their presence a secret.

The world started to come to life as he drew close to the center of town. A large neon light indicated a one of the seedier bars in Mystic Falls. He passed it and the people standing outside of it smoking, crossing the street and walking up three more blocks while taking in the town and all of its ambiance. He stopped in front of the Mystic Grille. When he walked inside, he scanned the patrons, until his eyes fell on Rebekah.

She was alone, seated at a table with a fruity looking drink and a satisfied little smile on her face. Taking his time to saunter over to her, he thought about all of the times they had sat inside a bar together, all of the lives they had taken together…

"Drinking alone, sweetheart? That isn't like you at all."

She motioned to the seat in front of her, "perhaps I was waiting for you, Nik."

He rolled his eyes, motioned for the waiter with a slight wave of his hand, then leaned back, stretching one arm out and rubbing his forefinger and thumb together thoughtfully. "Where is our dear brother?"

She brushed her blonde mane over her left shoulder, and tilted her head to the side. "Kol likes to keep busy, you know that."

"Oh Beks." He sighed, looking out over the bar at the poor, unfortunate human souls that walked around so blissfully unaware of how short their lives truly were, "you're scheming with the wrong brother. He's completely mad."

"And here you sit," she purred, "the picture of mental health." She sipped her drink through the pink straw then smiled, "I doubt onlookers would share your sentiment, brother. I am siding with the family member who did not lock me in a coffin, after all."

"You would have died. Mikael would have killed you- on what planet did you think that Stefan Salvatore could keep you safe, baby sister? It makes no kind of logical sense whatsoever."

"I'm pretty old, Nik, I don't think I need a big strong man to protect me, you know?" She rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. "Kol isn't trying to protect me either, he's on a mission. _We're _on a mission." She gave him a smirk full of mischief, "we're righting a wrong."

"You're in the business of righting wrongs now, sis?"

"Perhaps." She bowed her head slightly to look at him through dark lashes, "or perhaps just righting wrongs against myself and my family."

"I'm your family."

"Yet you bear no resemblance to the brother that I held in such high regard," she told him, her eyes clouding over and darkening with unhappiness, "you barely bat an eyelash at Finn's passing and you attack our other brother, Kol with no regard whatsoever. As for Elijah-"

"Betrayal is what caused all of that. Finn, for instance, was siding with our own mother to end all of us. His death was no tragedy, but one of his own making." Niklaus interrupted haughtily and defensively. "Elijah helped Katerina, when he certainly should not have, and again, I was trying to protect you."

"And I've given you my counter argument, so it seems we stuck, doesn't it? Now if you'll excuse me, I have many things to do and many people to see." She stood up and brushed her hair cheerfully over her shoulder and gave him a smile. "Enjoy your drink, Nik."

He nodded and raised his glass.

XXX

Elena got into the driver's side of her station wagon, and waited for Elijah to get into the passenger's seat. When he did, she turned a little to stare at him. "How could I be having dreams about someone else's memory, Elijah?"

He shrugged at her, "how would I know, Elena? But I know that moment in time. It was real and the only other to know of it was Tatia."

She felt her heart quicken at the idea of her remembering someone else's life. How could it be possible? More importantly, why was it happening? She glanced up at Elijah who was looking straight forward, his face stricken. "Do you think it's a spell? Do you think it's a ghost? Elijah?

He slowly turned his head to look at her, "I…don't know. But we need to start ruling some possibilities out. You're going to need to see Bonnie, and I am going to start asking around about witches. Maybe that will lead to the culprit of who is doing this to you."

Elena nodded vigorously, "that's a good place to start, I mean they seem like the likeliest of scenarios." She let out a breath, "do you think it's Klaus…or Kol?"

"Realistically? It could be either one of them." Elijah tempered, he returned in the vehicle and looked into her brown eyes. "You know it isn't me doing this, right?"

Did she know? She examined his face and considered it. She thought back on how he had betrayed her- and it was always reactionary. Moreover, they were not usually long-term, complicated tales of revenge where he was constantly lying. Her only real fear should be his deciding to turn on her to save his siblings.

Plus he looked genuinely freaked out by the whole thing. It was subtle, because he was Elijah and everything was subtle, but it was there. She saw it in his eyes when she had said his name after they kissed.

"I do." She said truthfully. "But we have to find out who _is _doing this and there is no way I'm convincing either of the Salvatore brothers to trust you." She slightly shifted her neck muscles and shrugged, "you know it's true."

"So tell them that it's your way or the highway."

"Oh sure," Elena mimicked his calm, reassuring tone. "Because that _always_ works."

"Tell me more about this dream, now." He suggested stiffly, "Maybe it's significant. And was it the first dream you've had like this?"

No. No it wasn't. Suddenly she felt trapped in the vehicle and so she opened the door and stood up, taking in a deep breath of the night air. She shut the door and when she turned around, Elijah was directly in front of her. "When? When was the last dream like this?"

She felt confused about that. Was it last night or the night before? It felt so much sooner than that, but it couldn't be. Right? She hadn't been sleeping because she had been studying. "It has to be last night," Elena replied, "It was of you. You wanted me- _her_, but I was her so whatever- you wanted _her_ to take her baby and leave with you. You wanted her to run away with you and start your own family." She couldn't take her eyes off of his face as she spoke. It was like a book opening up, allowing her to read parts of him that he almost always kept hidden. She went on, "she wanted to-"

"Tell me." Elijah interrupted, "in the dream? Is it your feelings you feel, or hers?"

Helpless to stop it, Elena cursed the pink she felt in her cheeks. She doubted that he missed the change in her color and how embarrassed she was. "Hers."

She watched as he closed his eyes, lips parting ever so slightly. He quickly opened them again, "and when I asked her if she would go away with me, did she want to?"

How strange a question to ask, she thought at first, but then realized that it wasn't so strange. Sometimes people needed that kind of reassurance. Still, needing it after so long of a time? She finally decided that it was only right to tell him the truth. "She did not leave with you for two reasons, the first was fear of your mother, and the second was her desire to help her own mother."

The muscles around his jaw released themselves, and she saw a part of him relax. "I see."

"Wait- I thought that out of the two of you, Klaus loved her more."

"I understand your implication." He looked forward, away from her and kept his expression carefully neutral, but she saw the struggle in his keeping it, "Elena, those were complicated times, and the idea of love was very different than it is now."

"It didn't seem very different." Elena replied, wondering why Elijah was trying to divert the conversation. He didn't want to talk to her about who loved Tatia more- and she wanted to know why. "It seemed very much like the love in this day and age, actually. So, I find it kind of hard to believe that Klaus could love her more than you did. You seemed pretty in love with her- unless it was all an act?"

He snapped his head up, looking appalled at the very idea of his intentions being anything less than sincere. "She was everything to me."

"So it seemed," Elena agreed, "you were going to abandon your whole family for her." She gave him a little smirk, "I think it would be hard for your brother to top that, Elijah. So tell me, why is it that you really said that Klaus loved her more. What are you hiding?"

"I wish I could," his voice was low and throaty, "but I can't, Elena, I'm sorry."

She glanced at him sideways, "is it something that could hurt the people in my life?"

His head shake showed certainty to her. "No." The word was a little breathy, but the rest of his statement was solid and firm, "It was just a promise that I made. It bears no real relevance to anything going on today."

_Was _he lying? She wished that she could read _his_ stupid heartbeat, as to even up the power-balance between them. Or, she thought suddenly, she could learn to steady her own pulse. That might work to even up the odds. Was there even a real way for her to do that though?

"I'm going to Caroline's. Something freaky is going on right now, and I need to at least check in so we're all up to speed with what the hell is going on."

"A sound plan." Elijah agreed.

XXX

"Alright," Caroline waved some of the sweet smelling smoke away from her face before starting to clean up the little circle they made on the floor for their privacy spell. "And you're sure it works?"

"You tested it with us, Care, remember?"

"I know it's just," Caroline sighed heavily, "the servants have ears, you know? And more importantly, _mouths_." She bit down on her lower lip and shrugged, "so I'm a little worried- I mean, all things considered."

"We're good." Bonnie promised, rolling her eyes and then bending down to help Caroline clean up the remains of the spell. She began placing the candles into Bonnie's rather large purse. "So what are all of these things should be considering, Caroline? What exactly are you trying to do with Klaus?"

Caroline turned around and took her friend in, then shook her head. "I don't think you really want to know, Bon."

"I'm afraid I already know what it is," Bonnie responded with a sigh, "and if I'm right, then damn straight I want to know, I need to know, Caroline. How else am I supposed to protect you?" She demanded furiously.

A pool of defiance began to well up inside Caroline at Bonnie's inference. "what is that supposed to mean, Bonnie?"

Her friend stared back at her in disbelief. "You're kidding right?" She looked around the room as if calling on someone else to witness this insanity. "You or Elena end up getting kidnapped, locked up, put in chains or _something_ and I'm the one dragging you all back from the brink of destruction. _None_ of you seem to have any instinct on self-preservation, do you? No. So in sweeps Bonnie with the magical spell," she made a wooshing motion with her arms, "or in rides Bonnie on her white horse, or what can Bonnie lose?"

Caroline objected again, "we would do the same thing for you."

"But you usually don't have to save me, Care. And I'm fine, absolutely fine, with saving you. I love you. You're my best friend. But, c'mon, at least admit that I do it, okay? That way we can skip the drama and just solve the problem right off."

Caroline really listened to what Bonnie was saying, and she realized that the girl was right for the most part, but she wasn't about to let her slide on her own culpability. She took Bonnie's hands in hers, faced her feet directly towards the girl and quirked a brow. "I will, if you admit that you're not always right, and that you don't always do the right thing."

Bonnie jerked her head back, taken aback by Caroline's words. For a moment Bonnie was quiet, as if assessing what Caroline had just said. Caroline was relieved that Bonnie hadn't pulled her hands away, and took it as a sign that maybe she wasn't angry. A small smile started to tug at Bonnie's lips. "You're right. Okay? It's a deal."

Caroline's smile was anything but small, "definitely. Wait, no. Are you going to make Elena say this too. Because I only think it's fa-"

"Yes," sighed Bonnie, "Elena has to say it too."

"Good." It came out a little more huffy than Caroline wanted, but such was after-life. "Then I definitely agree to this."

"So tell me what you're doing, Caroline. Seriously, all of it. I am going to need every detail I can use to talk you out of this."

"It's easy peasy." Caroline prefaced her idea with as she took her hands from Bonnie's and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I made a deal with him. I stay his prisoner, he doesn't hurt the people I love."

"And he agreed to this." Bonnie said slowly, disbelievingly even. "Caroline, I find it really hard to believe that the world's most dangerous man even knows how to care enough not to hurt someone." She sat down next to her, "This is the same guy who daggered his whole family."

"To keep them safe, or from killing him." Caroline pointed out.

"Are you _defending_ him?"

"No!" Caroline exclaimed, cursing her words for coming out wrong and fumbling all over each other. "No. He killed Jenna, he's the devil- I know it. Okay? I'm just saying that _he_ thinks he loves just fine. So if it's not keeping me safe or endangering him, then it's no problem for him to keep the promise. Get it?"

Bonnie's expression was pensive, "but then what? You just stay his prisoner forever?"

"No, no, no." Caroline shook her head vigorously and emphatically. "While I'm here, I play him. I act all googley eyed and starstruck- meanwhile I'm rummaging through his life and looking for weaknesses so I can help you guys beat him."

"And if he catches you? Two seconds later you're dead, Care. He's scary. The witches I met up with while trying to help Ric were _terrified_ of him. Not just scared either, legitimately terrified. If he thinks that you're betraying him, what on earth do you think he'll do to _you?_"

Unpleasant images of herself (all maimed and broken) passed through her mind at Bonnie's words. "I know the risk that I'm taking, Bon- but I know that the rewards are much greater. And I've totally got this."

"Remember that time when you were supposed to manipulate Elena into breaking up with Stefan? That went _well_." Bonnie's words weren't meant to hurt and Caroline knew this, but they stung all the same. "Look, I know I'm being mean and selfish here, but I'm doing it because I'm not sure I can survive another loss, Caroline, especially yours. I mean….look at what happened the _last_ time I thought you were gone? I'm part of the reason you're like this." Bonnie gestured to Caroline and looked guiltily to the side, "I'd fall apart if you died, Caroline. I know I couldn't take it. I just- I'd lose it.." She stood up and crossed the room, looking out the window. She _looked_ tired, Caroline realized for the first time. Her shoulders sagged gently forward, head tilted tiredly to the side as she leaned on the wall ever-so-slightly.

"Bonnie, I'm sorry." Caroline said quickly, she moved slowly to her friend, putting a hand on each of Bonnie's shoulder and leaning from behind. "I didn't realize-"

She straightened out a little, "no, I'm sorry. I'm fine, Care…"

"No, you're obviously not okay." Caroline argued. She lightly squeezed Bonnie's shoulders, "and _that's_ okay. We should all be taking turns freaking out here. Right now it's your turn. Next time it's going to be mine, or maybe Elena's."

Bonnie wet her lips and tried to laugh, "yeah. You're right. I just…whatever you do, Caroline, you survive, okay? I don't care what it is you have to do or not do. Get it? I don't care. You just promise me that you'll come back."

"I promise." Caroline told her, "now you promise me the same thing."

Bonnie nodded, "I promise."

"Wait, did you hear that?" Caroline wanted to know, but didn't wait for an answer. Instead she was at the door in a moment and opening it to see a very distraught Elena. "Hey…" It began as a bright greeting, then she noticed that there were tear streaks on her friend's face, "hey, are you alright?"

She nodded, stepping into the house. "Is Klaus here?"

"No, but Elena is. Come on, let's go upstairs." Caroline heard Elena's soft footsteps behind her as they approached the room. When she entered she and Bonnie were immediately embracing, then Caroline found herself in the circle of Elena's arms and Bonnie's arms. "It feels good to have the three of us together."

"Like it's supposed to be," Bonnie agreed with Caroline as they made themselves comfortable in the bedroom.

Bonnie ended up at the foot of the bed, Elena at the head with her back against the wall, and Caroline sat with her body towards them at her favorite part of the room- the vanity. "You came here pretty upset." Caroline said to Elena with concern, "what's going on?"

Elena shook her head, "first let's hear about Ric- I want to talk about that. Is he okay? What exactly is going on there?"

Bonnie looked from one girl to the next and back again, "I wish I had better news, really. He's not getting better- I mean the herbs keep the alter, which is what we're calling is psycho-self, at bay but only for so long. When he sleeps, it's done under lock and key. He's at Stefan's right now."

Elena leaned back onto her hands, "can I help? Is there a plan?"

"Well, we need to find an herbalist. I mean, someone who really knows her stuff. She doesn't even have to be a witch." Bonnie explained, "Lucy and I figure, there has to be one here."

Elena looked pensive, "so how do we find someone like that?"

"Look for a garden?" Caroline joked.

Bonnie started to laugh, then stopped. For a moment she just gaped at Caroline as though she were totally and completely brilliant. "Oh my God, Caroline, you're right. We look for someone who has access to a ton of different plants and herbs on a regular basis." Bonnie clapped her hands together and stood up, "Elena, do you know of anyone like that?"

"Anyone who owns a gardening store? Or farmers?" Elena drew her brows together, "or anyone with a lot of land in general." She looked at Caroline, then Bonnie. "The Fells?"

"The Fells made their fortune off of farms, just like the Lockwoods." Caroline agreed, having spent much of her youth eyeing up the richest families, if only so that she could one day be Miss Mystic Falls. "And they still have a ton of Greenhouses, I remember Logan showing me them when he would babysit me."

"That makes sense, and I will start there." Bonnie shrugged, "we have a step one for my problem. Now onto Caroline's…."

"There isn't much you guys can do there-" Caroline tempered.

Elena put a hand up in interruption. "But there is, Care. We can watch what we say around Klaus. One of us could confront him about not hurting you, leaving town if he really cared about you, junk I think he'll buy."

"That's true." Caroline gasped, "and he might not even catch you lying, Elena- because I think he just might hear what he wants and not question it. This is especially true because, well, he thinks that he's pretty much fantastic."

"And a step for your plan." Bonnie smiled. "Look at this- why don't we always do this? We're coming up with some pretty good solutions, if you ask me."

"Well prepare for a magical challenge," Elena told Bonnie and Caroline in a grim voice, "because I have a doozy of a problem for you both to chew on."

XXX

As Rebekah entered the Lockwood mansion, she began searching the house for Kol, sending up a little prayer to the old Gods, in hope that her brother was in their current residence and not off painting the town red- literally.

After four rooms, yelling his name and swearing that if he didn't come out she was going to kick his ass, she started to watch her hope fade. It was the sixth time she yelled his name when a different face appeared in front of her.

It was a shame that the beautiful face in front of her was one she swore to loathe for at least a few centuries. Nonetheless, Rebekah smiled at Damon, though how friendly it was, she couldn't really say. She gave him a once over, and had to admit that he looked sensationally good. A white T-shirt and… "leather pants?" She balked, completing her observations out loud. "Seriously? That's desperate, Damon. You should trust me, I'm acutely aware of desperate tactics."

"And what am I desperate for?"

"Besides Elena?" She scoffed, "haven't a clue. I'm sure you'll stay for a drink and tell me all about it though." She followed that with an irritated sigh, then gestured to his clothing. "Obviously."

"Well, I'm glad you're learning, anyway." Damon followed her and took a drink from her hand as she poured it for him. She knew he'd like it- who didn't like insanely expensive scotch? "I had been hoping you wouldn't notice what I was doing this time, just like the last."

"You're repellant, you know that?" She asked.

"You've seemed kind of stuck on me, actually." Damon argued, the left side of his mouth quirking upward.

She stared at him in disbelief. "I've had a shit couple of days, and I'm not in the mood to be toyed with _again_. Okay? So state your case and then, by all means, make an exit before I rip your head from your shoulders." She offered, "deal?"

He stepped back and let his back ease up. "Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you."

"And maybe I'm the pope." Rebekah countered with a roll of the eyes. "Now, you came here with the intent to seduce me. _Why_? Is it for information on Kol, Klaus, or Elijah?"

"Maybe all of them."

"And why would I betray any of my brothers for a trenchant peasant like you, exactly? Oh, that's right. I wouldn't. Ta-ta!" She waved goodbye to him and opened the door for him to exit the Lockwood mansion.

In truth, she wanted him- and basically hated herself for wanting him. But he didn't need to know that the lust was still there, that she knew that they would be a good match, so she held her shoulders back and kept her expression as one of disgust.

"Well, I tried, right?" He asked with a shameless laugh. He meandered toward the door, looking care-free and not-at-all put off by the fact that she had read his intentions. But as he approached, he leaned toward her, face gently brushing against hers as he put his lips to her ear. "Just remember, whenever you're up for it, and I know you will be, I'm yours for the taking."

She said nothing as he zipped through the door. But as she shut it behind his vanishing figure, her shoulders went forward in relief of his absence.

She wasn't about to fall for this again.

It would be reaching the absurd if she did. Sighing Rebekah started looked at the door that was shut. She had a lot of pent up energy bubbling inside her from being so close to Damon. Maybe a night on the town was what she needed, the feel of someone dancing against her, the thrill of music, and the atmosphere of sex and excitement.

She remembered how different music had been for her as a child, how dancing had meant something else back then.

But even back then, the energy it created was amazing. She was so grateful to still feel it now. Especially when she was so…antsy.

As she started out of the mansion though, Tyler was coming into it. She grabbed his arm and spun him back to the exit of the home. "You're coming dancing with me." She pulled him closer and backed outside, pulling him along with her. He smelled of booze already- so she figured he was up for some fun. "You coming, Tyler?"

"Um…."

"Of course you are. You're not even putting up a fight." She already had him stumbling out the door, dragging him behind her with their hands and fingers linked.

XXX

Elijah nor Elena were home, so when Jeremy made himself a sandwich and went up to his room, the quiet left him unaffected. In fact, the stillness was comforting. It was so seldom like this in his life anymore.

He climbed into his bed and stared at the mirror at the end of his room. How many times had he looked in that mirror? So many. Each time he felt sadder and more alone. Each time he had lost someone else.

He didn't want to lose Anna, not again. Not after the miracle of her return.

The words that she had spoken at him made their mark, just as she intended and had hoped. He was wondering what her past was like, how many lives she had taken, had she just been using him this entire time and a string of other questions that he couldn't possibly answer. It was, quite literally, making his head start to throb with pain. What he wanted most were answers, not for himself though. He loved her regardless. None of it mattered to him. But what if some past secret would take her from him? What then?

Worse, what if she ran away?

A tapping on his window startled him and Jeremy jumped a little before getting out of his bed and peering into the face of his enemy.

Kol Mikaelson.

He smiled and waved, like some child…or demented 1,000 year old vampire.

"Oh come on, open the window. I can't get in due to my lack of invitation- or as I like to think of it your inherent lack of manners. Bad breeding simply cannot be cured."

Jeremy made no movement to open the door. _This _jerk was someone in Anna's life, an important part in her life? Or had been. But when Jeremy had met her, Kol was nowhere to be seen. Kol was in a coffin and she was making no moves to help him. So how important to _her _could he possibly be? This didn't answer the most pressing question though, which was; should he open the window?

In a way it was, because a deciding factor is whether or not the vampire at his window could give him answers about Anna, or more to the point, would he give honest ones? Probably not- but the crazies, Jeremy learned, were unpredictable. So what if he did give him answers?

What if…

Jeremy bit down on his lower lip and examined the face of the villain at his window. What if Elijah was wrong and Kol wasn't the villain?

If he opened the window, it wasn't like Kol could get in- otherwise the window would have already been shattered. What would change if he opened it? Nothing. So he walked over and slowly and raised the window. "What is it, Kol?"

"Perhaps I just wanted the pleasure of your company?" He settled on the window seal, back against the frame, leg extended onto a tree branch. He was steady and comfortable seeming in that precarious position. "To get to know you? To discuss matters calmly," he took a deep breath then made a pushing out motion with his hands as he exhaled, "and rationally." He smiled then, "I mean people come to understandings all the time, we're reasonably intelligent men, so we should easily be able to solve this."

"You're right," Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest, "leave town."

Kol laughed, but it was a hollow and ugly sound. "I will _just_ as soon as I have Ana-Bèl."

"You can't just…have her." Jeremy retorted, "she's not something you go out and buy."

For a moment, Kol stared at him blankly, but then broke out into a smile. "Don't you realize we always belong to somebody? We're all bought and paid for, Jeremy. Every last one of us." His eyes went down Jeremy, than up him, "and who owns you, I wonder? Is it Anna? Bonnie? Who bought you? I wonder how much you cost."

Jeremy blinked at that, looking at Kol in dark surprise. "You don't understand-"

"But I do." Kol spread out his hands again, "now it's time to pay up, Jer. It's time for you to do the right thing, and that's help me get her memory back."

"You want to work together to help Anna."

"Of course." Kol raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "did you think I was going to want you dead? That bit in the woods was to get my Ana-Bèl to be close enough to me to remember, to feel something. I never had any intention of harming a hair on your head, Jeremy. In fact, when Anna and I leave town, you are more than welcome to join us. Really."

Jeremy shook his head, "you're lying."

"I'm not." Kol replied easily, almost coaxingly. "I'm not. The only way you wouldn't be able to come is if she didn't want you to. But she does- I can see her attraction to you now too. I mean, you're her type."

Jeremy squinted, then tilted his head to the side. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He motioned up and down towards Jeremy's body. "Cute, dark eyes, artistic…_lost_." He raised his eyebrows, "with just enough edge to keep it interesting."

"So I'm a dime a dozen?" Jeremy asked wryly, starting to realize Kol's game. He was going to poke at him with pins of doubt. "You're not worried about my place in her life because I will eventually be replaced. You, though? You don't get replaced? Then why…exactly, have you not been around?"

"That's the same question I want answered." Kol recalled caustically, "because I was forced to watch as Niklaus killed her. When I finally escaped his witch's spell, her body was long gone. I tried to _torture_ that information out of him. There was no limit to the pain I inflicted." From the look on his face, Jeremy could tell that Kol savored the memory an discussing it. "He never confessed, and ultimately to end my tormenting him, I had to be daggered." He wrinkled his nose, "all because of fickle witches who don't have a stomach for torture. Believe me when I tell you that they backed the wrong horse." He shook his head in annoyance, "if they hadn't turned on me like the capricious little creatures that they are, there would have been no end to my torturing him. The moral of this story is that you'll never be rid of me. I never give up."

"No matter what she wants," Jeremy replied dryly, "because when she came here, she was in no way looking for you. She was even happy to stay here."

Kol smiled, his teeth glittering in the moonlight. "When she remembers, then she can tell me who I have to rip apart for forcing her away from me." Was his quick and easy retort, "it's the only way she would have left." The stone in his voice left Jeremy without question that Kol truly believed this. But the question Jeremy couldn't help but ask himself was whether or not Kol was right in his faith. "But the reason she stayed away certainly _wasn't _you. I promise you that. Lovers come and go with Anna- she's had her share. Some of them might have even ended up famous, you know?: Kol shrugged, "so, again, you don't overwhelm me with worry, Jeremy."

Jeremy felt a pause, Kol didn't mind if she had other lovers? Maybe they grew bored after so much time, maybe vampire relationships were actually different than human relationships. But…Stefan didn't seem to adhere to that mindset. He was pretty set on Elena. Then again, Stefan was an a-typical kind of vampire, Damon seemed to be more like all the other of his kind. Maybe vampires didn't settle down. Maybe they all just slept around and had open relationships.

Or maybe Kol wasn't her lover.

He clung to some kind of ridiculous hope that it was the sweet and simple explanation. Just one sentence. _Please, _came the mental plea, _just let it be that they aren't lovers…_

"But I overwhelm you, don't I?" Kol asked with a certain satisfaction. "Maybe you don't want her memory found so that you can keep her."

"No." Jeremy shook his head, "I'd do anything to help her."

"That was a queer answer." He stared directly into Jeremy's eyes, and Jeremy couldn't help but feel desperately afraid of the creature outside of his window. It made him feel ashamed too, that he was afraid. His father would have stood up to his threat, as his Uncle John would have, and even as Elena would have- yet here he was, scared shitless. "So…neutral."

Jeremy lifted his chin a notch, "as long as she wants her memory back, I'll help her to get it back. It's up to her to decide."

Kol raised his brows, "how gallant. A true Knight in Shining Delicate Human Flesh." In a flash he was face to face with Jeremy, eyes boring into his. "I am offering you a truce, little boy- your life for her memory. Do you understand?"

Jeremy found himself frozen, his words stuck in his throat. He wanted to say them, wanted to so badly, but Kol's eyes were dark and endless. He'd do it. He'd kill him without a second thought. Finally, Jeremy composed himself well enough to get his thoughts to manifest into the spoken word. "As long as she wants her memory back," Jeremy spat out with venom, "I'll help her get it back."

Kol stepped back, laughing as he did. "Oh, you're funny, mate." He pointed laughing, "not a clever lad, but points for heroics, right? Oh, there's a reader in you, isn't there? You like a good epic tale." Kol winked, "gotta be that protagonist, right? Oh, you're cute, very cute." Kol settled back into his original position, leaning his back against the tree trunk lazily. "So what does that make me, then? Your arch-nemesis? Your villain? And is Anna your damsel in distress?" Kol laughed cheekily before pointing his finger at him and shaking it lightly, "oh…_you._" He turned around, another throaty chuckle escaping his lips. "You've got this story written all wrong."

"Anna is no damsel, for starters." Jeremy sliced in, "but I appreciate the failed attempt to try and read my mind."

"I'm not reading your mind, I'm reading your face. I'm reading your body movement." Kol clarified, "drawing conclusions from your past actions." He shrugged, "look, it's not your fault that you've got this written all wrong. I mean, how could you get it right? Obviously if you knew all the information, you would be on my side, Jeremy. Because _my_ side is doing everything possible to keep Anna alive; while your side would actively try and _kill_ her if they _knew_ she was alive."

Jeremy stepped backwards, "Klaus?"

"Actually, my brother has already killed her." Kol said darkly, "Niklaus killed her as a human, not knowing my blood was running through her veins. While I have no doubt he would do it all over again, I was referring to Elijah."

"Elijah mentioned your _slave_." He spat the last word out, "and he regarded her with pity."

"Did he?" Kol raised his brows in surprise. "Then perhaps he doesn't know. But if she resurfaces, Nik will definitely tell Elijah those ugly details."

"Ugly details?"

"Oh yes," Kol nodded, "like how Ayanna got the beloved Tatia sacrificed for our immortality."

"You're trying to tell me that Anna wanted your family to be immortal so badly that she let a girl be sacrificed for it?" Jeremy repeated. Her words from earlier echoed through his mind though, and he suddenly didn't feel so doubtful.

He knew so little about her past.

"I'm not telling you that." Kol replied easily.

"Then what are you telling me?"

He shrugged, "nothing. Anna can tell you all about it when she gets her memory back. My only suggestion is you keep her existence to yourself."

"How do you know I haven't already told someone?" Jeremy asked with an eyebrow raised.

Kol mimicked in a whiny voice, "how do you know I haven't already told someone?" Then shook his head and put to fingers on his forehead in mock frustration. "you silly thing- because she asked you not to."

"How do you know that?" Jeremy was now beginning to feel panic inside his chest.

"Some things," Kol clasped his hands together, "are just…intrinsic to one's true nature, memory or no memory. Ayanna being secretive is one of those things. She's…private."

It was funny, he hadn't noticed her privacy until she returned with no memory, but Kol was right. Anna was a private person, she just hid it under a lot of talking and sarcasm so it wasn't as noticeable that she wasn't telling you things. Jeremy looked at his hands, flexing his own fingers nervously. "I won't say a word to anyone." Jeremy finally promised.

"Finally."

And he was gone.

XXX

Okay, what did you think?


	8. Chapter 7

Yes, I am still writing this story. It was on a long hiatus because I've been trying my hand at original fiction. Also, this chapter and the next aren't the easiest to write, there is a lot of talking, and not much action. Plus, Elijah and elena are spending some time apart, which is never fun for me to write. But Klaroline have a momentus scene in this, so that made it easier! I figured that the readers would dread this chapter, outside of Klaroline, so in turn I dreaded writing it. However, readership and replies won me back, and I want to thank you all for favoriting, following and replying- without that this story may have been abandoned completely as the whirlwind of real world events kept me from the exciting, fictional world of vampires and werewolves.

redbudrose: thank you for reading! I think at one point every character will have a moment where the reader will disagree with their thoughts and actions, or I hope so, anyway! I Mprefer flaws and selfishness! So thank you! I felt Bonnie was being selfish too, and I'm glad that came across!

SwanQueen: Thank you:-)

Lilylulurose: Thank you so much for your continued support! I hope you're still reading, even after this long hiatus! There is only a little of Elijah/Elena in this, as they need to consider what these memories mean. I have an epic plan for the Tatia memories mess, and I really hope you like it. If you're feeling shaken by it, just remember- I LOVE Elijah/Elena. The only couple that rivals my love for them is Klaroline!

MusicalLover: Thanks!

katniss peeta perfect: WOW! Thanks so much! I'm blushing at your reply! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story THIS much, and it was so sweet of you regale this story with such sweet compliments! I've enjoyed writing every character, old and new, in this story, and am so glad the new characters aren't annoying! I'm madly in love with Klaroline- they are everything that a couple should be and I really hope you enjoy this chapter, because they take a step in the right direction of coupledom. I hope I do them justice! The next chapter is heavy on them too. Thank you again for your beautiful comments, and I hope I can live up to them!

Another note: I had this entire story planned out before we learned a lot about Kol's history…so just ignore the show's history for Kol (whose potential the show largely squandered), please, and thank you!

**Chapter Seven **

**History Lessons: Part One**

_Searing pain kept his eyes from closing with weariness. It was like his little brother knew just the right amount of pain to use to keep him in absolute agony, but not have his body shut down completely. There was no passing out for him. There was no relief…._

_Just a fuzzy memory, like Niklaus' mind was already trying to block it out, erase it, protect his future from this unspeakably terrifying present. But even with the dulled memory, the fire, the small but deep incisions with sharpened wood left his body screaming in agony. His arms were bound behind his back with a strong, secure rope that he couldn't quite break free of- and he wasn't sure why. His skin was raw in those places, it burned and ate at his flesh._

_It was like Kol was made for torture, designed for it. He was always so pleasant and normal through it all. This was his every day face, this was who he was._

"_You're lucky she came back, Nik." Kol hissed from behind. Niklaus stared forward, though his vision was too blurred to make out what he was looking at. "You're lucky she is like us now."_

"_But how did she become like that?" Nik smirked, "do you even know?"_

_Kol's grin wasn't entirely sane, "you've got some spirit left. Good. You're going to need it." _

_Niklaus stared at him with cold fury, "that was hardly an answer to my question."_

"_Do you really feel like you're in the position to get answers, Nik?" Kol drawled out._

"_I feel like you're protecting a _slave_ who is worth no more than an animal, a girl who betrayed her only friend and allowed our mother to destroy her."_

"_And you believe that…why? Because Mother told you?" Kol pushed him forward and Nik, with no way of breaking the fall with his hands or feet, fell face first into the dirt, sending shocks of pain through his mouth, nose and forehead while lurching his neck. An oomph sound left him and when he tried to talk, he ate dirt. Hatred for his brother burned inside of him like fire. "Listen well, Nik. You tried to end the one thing in this world that means the most to me. Now, I get that you don't understand what that really means, because the only person that matters to you is, well, you." Nik could not look at his brother, but he imagined malice in his gaze. It took some effort to turn his head so that he was no longer eating the dirt, but to further hurt his neck, while his left cheek was pressed against the unforgiving ground. "Oh, don't give me that look, brother. We both know full well why you pursued the pretty little mother. Jealousy, resentment- Elijah wanted her, and you wanted someone, anyone, to love you just a little more than Elijah." Kol raised his brow as if waiting for an answer. None came. "But one day, big brother, someone is going to matter to you more than yourself…and I will be there to take it away."_

Klaus opened his eyes and pushed away the sorry young red head he had been drinking from, she fell onto the floor, almost in a heap. She barely kept her balance, and was only really able to do so by putting her hand on the railing.

He had been intending to give Caroline a show, to prove that he was badass and could hurt anyone if he wanted. That way her idea of him as something to be terrified of was reinforced. He had learned early that one display of strength was never enough, soon people would forget, they would perceive kindness as weakness and they would use it to destroy you. No. It was best to remind them regularly.

He wanted to scare her into submission…but he couldn't do it. Not because it was wrong, or because he felt badly for the mousy little ginger who was adjusting her sweater back onto her shoulder. She gave him a confused and frightened look- in truth the girl was quite attractive; even in a pair of loose black slacks and a long bulky short-sleeved cardigan that was two shades lighter than her extremely pale skin. She shook her head, looking around until her fingers touched her throat.

He couldn't do it because of the way Caroline would _look _at him.

When he realized this, he got so angry that he almost ripped this girl's throat out. He only stopped short when he realized the annoyance of the body. He glared at the evidence on her throat, then ripped at his wrist with his teeth and shoved it onto her mouth. She drank at it a little then pulled back, "what the hell am I-"

"You went for a walk, it was invigorating. Now walk home, and on the way? Forget me and the little bite."

"What bite?"

Klaus turned around and walked into his home after a night of binge drinking. He wore yesterday's clothes and the smell of perfume and liquor. It had been quite the wild night and he didn't envy the staff at the hotel they had abused. Since hotels were kind of like a buffet for a vampire, Niklaus always remained selective on the issue of choosing one to stay at; not that the small town had many to select from.

Wickery hotel had been the only hotel that mattered in Mystic Falls, it looked out onto its own waterfall, not the actual falls the town was named after, though it was located just outside the national park those falls were located in. The hotel's falls were smaller, and fell into the artificial lake to make the hotel a more desirable place to stay at. Of course the only other establishment to stay at was a cheap no-tell motel in the slightly less affluent area of Mystic Falls. As one who had fed on Kings and Queens, he felt that he had earned a certain style of victim, so the choice had been obvious.

Of course, as wild as the night had been, his mind was stuck on one creature and one alone.

Caroline Forbes.

He was disgusted with himself, and resolved immediately to go back to the hotel for another day and night of debauchery. Perhaps he would invite Rebekah; she did love a good party…

He had to purge Caroline from his mind. She was becoming more than a challenge, more than a mind, than a pretty face. She was becoming a weakness.

With blood still smeared over his mouth, his mind stopped as the door opened and he found himself looking into the eyes of Elena Gilbert. Her face became a scowl and she breezed past him haughtily. The reaction annoyed him, so he snaked his hand out to loops around her wrist as he spun her around and held her there with a look. He didn't get a chance to speak though.

"You're a pig." She spat out venomously. "She's in there, worried something had _happened _to you- and here you are;" she her free hand in a gesture that covered his entire body; "smelling like someone else's perfume, lipstick on your collar and blood all over your mouth. Just let her go already, Klaus. It's not like you _really _care."

He pulled her to him, pressing his forehead against hers in an invasion of space that he knew made her uncomfortable by the catch in her breath. "Listen here, blood bank;" he hissed; "you wouldn't know the first thing about me, so stop wagging that little tongue about things your pretty little head doesn't know about." He let her go and smiled, "but seeing as I made a deal. You can just walk on by and pretend we never even had this little discussion."

As he stepped aside, she passed by, but then turned around. "I won't make a deal with you, Klaus, but I'll make a promise. You hurt her in any way, and nothing will stop me from ending you."

"You end me, love, and you end your precious Salvatore brothers, as well as Caroline."

"I didn't say kill." She smiled before turning around and starting down the sidewalk to her SUV. "I said end."

XXX

"So are you going to tell me what happened between you and my sister, or do I just keep stumbling in the dark?" Jeremy asked as they hiked toward the waterfall. It was Jeremy's idea to take the walk, because Elena had not come home in two nights, and neither had Elijah.

So either they were together, or they were avoiding each other.

Jeremy had decided on the latter. There was tension when he was around either one of them, it didn't take a genius to figure out something was very wrong. "It took me a little convincing, because she really didn't want you to have to deal with any of this, but I convinced her to let me tell you everything."

"So?" Jeremy paused, "spill."

"She's been having dreams, Jeremy- dreams that don't make sense."

"Okay." Jeremy knew that there had to be more, some random bad dream wouldn't put this much tension in the air. "And?"

Elijah, glanced at him, lips slanted to the side and an eyebrow raised. "They've been memories, Jeremy- just not Elena's memories." He took a few quick steps forward and Jeremy tried his best to keep pace with him. "They are Tatia's."

"As in the Originator of the doppleganger line, Tatia?"

"Well, that's her full name, anyway." Was Elijah's dry response, "so I thought I would allow your sister space, and take some of my own while I was at it."

Jeremy raised a brow, "that is really weird. Weirder than usual weird."

"It is." Elijah nodded, "I can't quite figure out why it is happening. Why did it not happen with Katherine? She was a doppelgänger too." He tilted his head to the side, "it begs a few questions, does it not?"

It did. Jeremy couldn't help but think it more than a coincidence that all of the living Original family members being in town might have something to do with it. "Was Katherine ever around more than two of you at a time?" He inquired, wondering if his thought had any real relevance. Elijah looked thoughtful, then nodded. "How about four of your family?"

"No. She's only met Niklaus, Rebekah and myself. Never Finn, never Kol and never our mother."

"Elena's encountered all of you, even your father." Jeremy pointed out, "maybe that has something to do with it."

Elijah eyed him strangely, then broke out into an all-too-rare smile. "Brilliant. Perhaps that does have something to do with it, or, in the very least a clue can be found there. Well done, Jeremy."

Jeremy felt a little pride well up within him. He was so used to being the screw up, or the victim; unless it was with Anna, he never really felt all that smart or cool. But at the moment, he felt bright, and he felt like someone valued his opinion because it was _worth _being valued. That was normally how Elijah made him feel, so Jeremy felt a lot of guilt at not revealing Anna's presence in Mystic Falls, that he knew she was once Kol's slave-girl.

Yet there was a compelling reason for him not to trust his mentor on this, he was allying himself with Klaus, the man that killed his Aunt Jenna, a monster that could not be trusted. Whatever the reason for Elijah's new connection with his brother, it kept Jeremy's lips fastened. It didn't matter that Elena agreed to the truce either, after all, she trusted Damon Salvatore- and he was utterly worthless. "How should we look into it?"

"Research." Elijah replied easily, "I am going to go check a few of my sources, I do not normally tap the same informant twice, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Jeremy nodded, "did you want me to come with you?"

"Not necessary. You should stay here and keep an eye on your sister."

"Will do."

XXX

Bonnie's phone buzzed and she pulled it out of purse and accessed the text message she received from Caroline.

**Elena gave the speech we talked about, then left safely. I'll text you later with results. **

Bonnie sighed a little in relief. So their plan to help Caroline had begun. Now back to her original problem- Alaric.

As it turned out, the Fells were away on business and that left the daughter- town freak Ronnie Fell- as the sole Fell to talk to. It wasn't Bonnie's first choice, because there were times when Ronnie was downright creepy, but at this point, she was desperate.

When she answered the door, for example, Ronnie's hair was tucked up into a hat that looked like it came straight out of the musical _Newsies_. She was wearing a white wife-beater and a pair of black slacks. Her make up- now that was the real surprise. There was very elegantly drawn spider web around her left eye, complete with glitter glistening in certain places. Her eyes themselves had huge, obviously fake eye-lashes, thick black liner and very, very light shadowing with sparkles and white eye-shadow. Her lips were a bright scarlet, and shined with gloss.

She looked ready for Halloween.

But that could be chalked up to some goth-witch-wannabe attitude, it could be laughed off. The real reason Ronnie was creepy was because of the papers she wrote for her 7th grade English class. The girl was homeschooled, but as per the school's requirements, her work had to be graded through Mystic Falls public. Although Bonnie was a grade ahead, her English teacher was the one who graded the home-schooled students papers. Mr. Bailey often let Bonnie grade papers for him during her free period. She had liked to do it, and Mr. Bailey felt that she was able to, since she was at the top of the class. Ronnie's very first paper was on what literary character from her reading history did she most identify with, but she didn't choose a character. She chose Machiavelli…the author of her literary favorites. Heavy stuff for a 7th grader, even Bonnie had a hard time keeping up with it and had to relinquish it to Mr. Bailey. It was his _"she has a scary, scary mind." _Comment that cemented Ronnie's weirdness in Bonnie's mind.

"Bennett." She said, hand snaking up the door, her eyes went down Bonnie, then up her.

Creepy.

"Uh, yeah." Bonnie shifted uncomfortably. "I was just wondering if you had any fresh Lavender and Rosemary? I'm trying to make some tea to rid myself of this awful headache, but I ran out."

Veronica stared at her a moment, completely underwhelmed by the greeting that Bonnie hoped would rock her. The reaction would have told Bonnie what she needed to know. But no reaction? She hadn't really anticipated that. To anyone who nothing of herbs and remedies, the idea of lavender and rosemary helping with a headache would be coming out of left field; but to someone who knew their stuff though, it would register, and Bonnie had hoped that was the reaction she would get.

But Bonnie did conclude that the girl knew what it meant, because she didn't ask, 'why would you come to me with this?' or 'Why didn't you go to the grocery store and get it?'

"Um- so do you?"

"Yes." She stepped aside, "please…come in."

Bonnie walked past her anyway and into the mansion. "So what exactly could a Bennett witch want from a Fell?"

She followed her down the hallway and into a massive dining room, with a table large enough to fit at least ten people on either side of the table. There was a damn crystal chandelier on the ceiling! "You knew?"

"You're kidding right?" Veronica snorted and shook her head, "who do you think spearheaded the movement to get your ancestor Emily burned at the stake, Bennett?" She turned around and then hopped up on the table to meet Bonnie's gaze head on. "You know what's funny about witches, Bon? They don't all come from the peace-love-and all-vampires-must-die branch, you know? There are other kinds, like _my _ancestor. Benjamin. He believed in power- and your ancestor Emily Bennett, well, she was standing in the way of his power. He had her removed. I mean, didn't you ever wonder how they managed to kill a witch as powerful as Emily?"

The truth was that Bonnie never even really questioned that.

However, Bonnie wasn't sure how to feel about all of this new information. Should she be angry on behalf of Emily? But angry at Ronnie? She had nothing to do with it. Should she wonder if this was Ronnie warning her that she is like her own ancestor? _Should_ she be afraid of her?

"So, yes." Ronnie nodded, "I knew."

"Why didn't you tell me? Come to me?"

"So we could what? Do spells together? Hang out? Braid each other's hair?" Veronica asked with a roll of her eyes, "making us witches wasn't going to magically make us friends, Bonnie, just like it won't now. So just tell me what you want and, in the spirit of whatever, I'll try and help you. Then I want you to move along so I can continue about my _very _busy day."

Perhaps Ronnie knew how creepy Bonnie found her, and that was why she was getting this dose of attitude. "It's not really as easy as all of that. Sorry for wasting your time." Bonnie turned around and started toward the mansion door. "If an entire coven of witches couldn't figure it out, I mean- how could you?"

Her eyes snapped open and Bonnie knew she had her. After all- how do you get a genius to do what you want? Try and tell them that they _can't. _

"Challenge accepted. What is it that you need me to solve for you?"

XXX

_When he looked up from the darkened corner, the only place in the room that light didn't hit, it was because the door had opened and Anna had come inside. She was smudged with dirt, her hair messy but cropped up to her ears. She preferred it short because of the tangles and the dirt. "Kol- what is wrong?" _

_He heard the pounding of her feet coming towards him, then the warmth of her hand enveloped his face and forced him to look into her eyes. "What has happened?"_

"_The sunlight…it burns me, everything is so….loud."_

_Even her heart beat- it thundered within her and almost deafened him. He tried to shield himself from it, but she was untangling his arms from around himself and trying to get a good look at him. "shhhh," she made the comforting sound, "look at me. Concentrate on nothing but my voice." It was a low murmur, and he appreciated her keeping her tones quiet, it soothed and eased some of the chaos inside of his mind. "We can fix this. We can make things better. Say it with me, Kol." _

"_We can fix this. We can make things better."_

_He found himself nodding at her as he blended his words with hers. This made sense. She was right. _

"_Haven't we already been through worse than this?" She asked him, but gave no pause for a response before continuing. "Haven't we always won?" _

"_Always." He agreed. He smiled lightly, feeling wounded but not out of control. The sunlight may burn him, but perhaps that was just a puzzle they would have to solve, perhaps the spell, like all spells, had little riddles inside of it. "Always." He repeated and stared into her eyes. There was a smile in those eyes of her, a sparkle of mischief that let him know she was figuring it out. Then her lips quirked upwards, "you have a solution." _

"_My name-mother_ _won't help your mother- because of what you are. But….but I know a witch that might."_

"_You can't go to your real mother, Ana-B__é__l." He disagreed, "she hates my whole family. She despises _me_. Ana, she cursed me."_

"_And now she will make that up to you, Kolvern." Her endearment for him softened the sentence. "She's made terrible mistakes, but she is repentant. That is why she sent me to you in the first place." This sentence had been repeated to him many times, yet the person it supported had no face to match with the words. All he knew was her sins, and that she sent her daughter to him to right that wrong. He had never even seen her real mother's face. The woman that cursed him to madness. _

"_I wouldn't change it, you know." He confided softly, "if I could go back, make it like I was never cursed? I wouldn't do it. Because then I would not have known you."_

_She touched his face and smiled, "Kolvern_."

"_We go to her." He said, closing his eyes. His chest was tight, almost painfully so. "But what if she cannot find us an answer? What if I am doomed into darkness forever? What if the curse takes back over?" _

"_Then we face the darkness," She took his hands and placed them inside hers, "we embrace it and own it- together."_

_Of course she would stay, he did not have to question her honesty; because Anna would never lie to him. He knew that like he knew the sun's golden hues would turn into the moon's silvery glow.. "And the curse?" _

"_You know that will not happen." _

Kol tilted his head down over the grounds of the Lockwood estate as he sat in the branch of a tree just where the woods on their property began. He preferred to seat himself in higher places, it just felt safer somehow. His head was beginning to pound with thoughts he couldn't control, that came at him from every which way, in so many different tones…sometimes he wondered if those whispers were ghosts, or some other creatures in his head.

So to try and ease the pressure, to quiet him, Kol would remember _her_. Sometimes that wouldn't work though…and only blood would silence it. Not just drinking it. Drowning in it.

_Stop it. Stop thinking that. _

So his mind wandered to an easier path to go on, a less dangerous one. He was not yet used to a world full of electricity and convenience, and he wondered if he would ever grow accustomed to it. He felt that it made the world more complicated, which always meant more of a challenge…

And he so did love a challenge.

"Kol, could you come down for a few drinks?" Beks called up, a second later he was in front of her. "You look unwell."

"I'm fine."

She regarded him skeptically, "I have the drinks inside. We'll talk there."

Kol grinned, "uh oh, is big brother in trouble?" He asked as he followed her toward the Lockwood mansion. He didn't call it home- because it was not home, and it never would be. "Did you convene with the less estranged twosome of dysfunction?"

They entered the mansion and started towards the Lockwood's personal library. It wasn't extravagant, but it had all the documentation they could gather on the Founding Families. It was beautifully furnished in Oak as the wood, and red as the fabric for the two chairs and couch in the center. "I didn't." She answered, then turned around to face him. "It's not about them. It's about Anna."

"She's not up for discussion right now, Beks"

"The hell she isn't, Kol." Rebekah cut in venomously. "We need to get her back, sooner rather than later. I get that you want to make this a game, and you want it to be like old times. But it isn't old times, Kol. It's brand new, seriously scary times. There are weapons that can kill us out there- and hybrids. Kol…there are hybrids. Okay? Lots of them. Nik keeps making more, he keeps getting more power, and no one can stop him. Nothing can kill him. Do you understand what I am saying? Every day we don't tell her who she is, will be a day closer to our brother finding her and ripping her limb from limb."

"She'll figure it out on her own, Beks. I know she will."

"Ugh. You sound so certain." She replied with annoyance, "I'm not nearly as convinced, Kol. And quite frankly, I'm getting angry. We need to protect her. Damn it, Kol. _We_. Not just you. You're not the only one who loves her."

Kol broke eye contact and looked down, "we did already lose Na and Finn…and father."

She blanched, feeling bitterness and resentment bubbling to the surface at the thought of him, at the thought of his betrayal. He had hunted her, for centuries upon centuries. For all that time, she lived in fear of her own father, and so did Niklaus, no matter what his bravado on the matter. "How can you miss our father, Kol? He tried to kill us."

"But running from him was a real kick. Kept you on your toes, you know?" He raised his eyebrows and then lowered them again. "Beks, you're a bundle of nerves. Calm down. She's going to figure it out and come to us."

"How can you be that ridiculously sure?"

"Because she remembers things. Ronnie said she knows facts and stories, she knows history, she knows languages." He shrugged, "and she's _her_."

"But she isn't, not really." Rebekah said, a twinge of pain in her voice. "And as much as I miss her, as happy as I am that she is alive, I still have this ache. Because she isn't really back. It's just her face."

Kol just smiled, "care to wager on that?"

She opened her mouth to speak, snapped it shut and shook her head, as if remembering something that suddenly made her agree with him. "Do you think she'll come with us?"

"Like this? As she is? I'm not entirely certain. I am, however, certain that something is going on with you. You're awfully expedient-minded about this situation. Is there a reason that you're in a rush to leave town?"

She met his gaze directly, "you damn well know there is, Kol. The walls close in here, this place is cursed, I swear it."

"We're all cursed." He replied easily, "who knows that better than me?"

"We need to fix it, Kol, before you get us all caught and killed." She sighed heavily, "Not that you're less annoying the other way." She rolled her eyes, "I'll go along with this fool plan of yours, but I want it noted that I don't agree with it in any way."

Kol smirked, "noted."

XXX

Caroline raised an inquiring eyebrow when Klaus stepped into his home. There was blood on his shirt, his hair was windswept and she was more than sure that he wanted her to be curious as to why he was in such a tousled state. She, however, was not going to give him the satisfaction of making a fuss over it, or even questioning it at all. "That look suits you," she joked.

"Every look suits you." He returned charmingly. It was disarming just how well he spoke, how he knew the right words to say. Sometimes she couldn't help but be enchanted by it., and found herself having to use silent reminders to bring her back to reality. He was psychotic. He had killed so many people…

But hadn't Stefan? And hadn't he changed? Could Klaus change too?

It was a thought that kept permeating the surface of her mind, despite continuous efforts to push it back. "Has Tyler stopped by?" He asked her casually, _too _casually.

Caroline shook her head, "No. I don't expect him to either, he made it pretty clear what he thought of…" she wasn't sure how to describe what was going on, so after a pause she finished the sentence with, "this."

"And what is this?" Klaus asked, blue eyes indecipherable.

She opened her mouth, shut it, then finally decided on, "I…don't know."

"A better answer than I thought."

She lifted her right shoulder slightly, "you'll excuse me if I'm not quite as excited. I'm not entirely used to these…confusing and complicated relationships like you are. Until I was a vampire, I was quite certain my mother was the devil and my father was the saint."

"And now?"

"Nothing is ever that black and white." She responded truthfully, "which has me wondering about your relationship with _your_ family."

He chuckled lazily, "good luck sorting that out, luv. I've been trying to for centuries."

"It's kind of difficult to figure things out when they are all hiding from you or locked in coffins." She began with a tone that was almost pleasant, but most certainly was nothing of the kind. "Maybe if, you know, you acted like more their brother, and less like their owners they'd warm up to you." The statement shot out of her smirked lips and knowing eyes. "But before that you'd have to realize that you're not always right; and we both know that miracle will never occur. It would have already, right? You've had like a thousand years to figure out something I determined in, like, less than a year."

"Someone is feeling quite entitled today, isn't she?" He shot back, his posture and tone mirroring hers. "And confident too, eh? Considering she only knows bits and pieces of an entire story."

Caroline shrugged, "well the pieces you've revealed have been less than encouraging. Maybe a little light could be shed on the rest."

"Why, you're asking to get to know me. What's next, Caroline, a date?"

She laughed haughtily, "in your dreams."

"And here you are, assuming to know what my dreams hold." He spread his arms out, "but I'm sure we share more than a few, eh? So ask away, Caroline. I'm an open book." He put up a hand, "no wait, let me clean up and then join me on the patio for a little interview, hm? An exclusive with the most dangerous creature alive."

She rolled her eyes, "make it snappy- and remember that _modesty_ is usually an attractive quality in a person."

"_Usually_ it is," he agreed with a wink before starting up the stairs.

**XXX**

When she walked the cliffs of the fall, letting the water run over her bare feet to the chaos below, Rebekah felt a little more at home than she usually did. Sometimes when there was no one to belong to, there was at least a place to go. She had always loved waterfalls more than any other natural beauty. The way they made falling look so purposeful and meaningful.

For Nik, he had loved the strength and beauty of living creatures- as ironic as that was. Wolves, horses, foxes and even humans. For all his talk of being stronger than they were and how they meant nothing, he spent the better part of his immortality drawing and admiring them. For Elijah it was the ocean that touched him- as cold, dark and endless as his gaze could be. Within those waves were mysteries untold and unnumbered- just as there were within him. Kol loved the unpredictability and wildness of a storm, lived it like he was a storm himself, poised to destroy at a moment's notice or just rain wildly until his temper died out- and then there had been Finn, who admired mountains as immovable and domineering as himself.

She wondered if one always loved things so much like their own selves.

This thought was punctuated by Stefan, who sat at the bottom of the falls, looking up at her with some kind of a wonder. He loved the falls himself, she recalled fondly. They had always wanted to see all of the waterfalls together and planned to leave a trail of bodies all around the world on their waterfall tour. It was a good memory, and it imposed good will toward him when she realized that it shouldn't. He, like all others, got over her and left her.

They always left.

"You're staring." She scowled, having not been emotionally prepared to see either of the Salvatore brothers. In a blink she was in front of him to try and crowd his personal space. "If you were looking to stare, how about a close-up?" though he didn't step back, she most certainly startled him to a blink or two.

Somewhere deep down she knew she was terrifying- and she liked it. She liked that her presence was still one that caused trepidation in him, it soothed her bruised, rejected ego. He would deny that fear, most likely- but she saw it and there was no erasing that.

"I didn't expect you to be here, you just were- and so I was staring." He responded in, quite possibly, the dumbest retort one could have conjured. "Why aren't you with your brother?"

"Which one?" She asked crisply, "I have 3."

"The crazy one."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. Kol then." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Shouldn't you be making sure your brother doesn't upset those very carefully made truce efforts that's you know about, but shouldn't?"

"And why would I want Elijah and Nik on the same side?"

"Because then they aren't trying to kill each other." He answered, as if he knew her. As if he had a clue.

"I won't let any of you destroy him, you know." She told him with a cold look, "Kol is my brother as much as Elijah and Nik. I'm not as fickle as my brothers; family has meaning for me." Setting him straight made her happy, showing him that he knew nothing about her pleased her, as if easing the blows of his previous rejections.

"But human life sure doesn't." Stefan returned cruelly, "maybe because you'd have to compel yourself a friend."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, "it's not me your mad at and we're not together anymore- so find someone else to take your abuse, Stefan." She shot back with a scowl, "why is it that the world deems me so fit to be everyone's punching bag?" She stepped back from Stefan, shook her head, and turned her body towards the waterfalls. "So tell me, did Elena finally give your brother the whirl he believes he so richly deserves?"

She almost delighted in the pained scowl that touched his lips at her words, they met their mark.

It was funny, because right then she realized that despite their talk of the forest, of rivers and of waterfalls, she had never seen him in that environment when they were together. They never got that far. He'd left her with her brother, he didn't look for her, or want to help her…

He'd have never stopped looking if it had been Elena.

She noticed that he didn't answer.

"But for the record, Kol won't give a damn about your truces, your alliances, or anything else. Neither of us do. You're on the wrong side, and once you figure that out, the better off you'll be." She shrugged her shoulders lightly, "The fact that you're siding with Nik should tell you that, if nothing else."

He looked like he was considering her words, "and Elijah?"

"Elijah the honorable, you mean?" She asked, a twinge of sarcasm threading through her speech. "Well, he always keeps his word, doesn't he?" Stefan looked like he was searching her face for answers. Had something happened recently between Elijah and Stefan? Was their already trouble within that tenuous, and utterly pointless, alliance? "Wow, my brother did something underhanded. Color me shocked."

"I didn't say that."

She chuckled throatily, "Of course you didn't." Then she tilted her head ever so slightly to the right, then straightened out and pensively looked at him. "That's right. You didn't." She repeated, "which means he did something that _wasn't_ a betrayal, that still hurt you, but not enough to turn on the group."

Stefan stared at her, keeping his face as neutral as possible. She wondered how much of a struggle it was.

"It was something with Elena." She told him knowingly, looking him up and down. "My idiot brother got sucked up into the vacuum that is Elena Gilbert obsession, hasn't he?"

"You're creating something out of nothing," Stefan argued sensibly, "nothing happened."

"I simply will never understand the obsession with that bland doppelganger twit. At least Tatia had some real power, but this Katerina? Elena? There is nothing special about them, yet men flock to their dooms as though they were some kind of siren." Rebekah shook her head, "and they are doomed to reappear throughout time, mucking things up while simultaneously being tiresome. That combination is somehow the only remarkable doppelganger trait."

When she glanced at Stefan, his eyes met hers and she could see that he did not agree with her. Poor, stupid Stefan. Poor, stupid Damon. Poor, stupid Elijah.

It reminded her, all of a sudden, of something dear Ana had once told her.

"_Men rule this world, I fear that will be for quite some time, _my khati,_ and because we have no power over our them, we fight amongst each other for whatever scraps of power and attention we can get. That is why you hate Tatia, Beks. She has the favor of your two brothers. It is her lips that move them, and no longer your own. So you fight her, but it's no good. We shall accomplish nothing if we are too busy trying to harm each other." _

Rebekah looked long and hard at Stefan.

Men still ruled this world.

Just not as comfortably.

But that did not mean she had to be ruled by them, or their feelings for whatever dullard they so chose. Rebekah Mikaelson was strength, she was brilliance, she was beauty. It was about time she started acting like it. "You know what? Nevermind- the whole lot of you can rot for all I care. I have other business to attend to.

In her mind she said, _screw you, Kol. I'm helping Ana._

She set out to find her.

XXX

Elena wasn't at home.

Jeremy called her, and she didn't pick up. He sighed, and decided against panicking. After all, that would just skew his thoughts and keep him from being rational. She could easily be driving, or talking to someone.

A moment later his phone rang, and he saw on the ID that it was her, he picked up the phone. "Hey sis, just checking in."

"Gotcha, Jer. Where are you?"

"The house, I think I'm going to chill here for the night. You up for a movie?"

"Maybe later," she answered, "I thought I'd stop by and see Ric."

Jeremy suddenly felt very uncomfortable, he had visited with Ric a few times and each time he felt more and more uneasy around the man. It really wasn't Ric anymore, and Jeremy felt the need to mourn him- but how did one mourn a living man? "Let me know how that goes?

"Will do."

He bit down on his lower lip, considering his next few words carefully. "Elijah told me about your memories."

"You mean her memories?" Elena corrected softly. "I wish there was something I could tell you, Jer, but there isn't. I don't have any idea why Im having them, but Bonnie and Caroline are going to help me find out."

"Not Stefan?" Jeremy wanted to know, but truly he was more interested if Damon was helping her. Neither Salvatore were enough to protect his sister, but he especially felt like Damon would doom her.

There was a pause, "I'm taking a break from Stefan, and from Damon too." She said it with such uncertainty, he had no doubt of her confusion. Jeremy doubted that these memories were going to do anything to help her state either. "I feel like I need to, you know? I just- they're too much for me right now if that makes any sense."

"I get it."

She released a relieved sigh, "Thanks for understanding, Jeremy."

"No problem. Call me if you need anything, and please stay safe."

"I will- back at you."

"Will do."

Jeremy hung the phone up and put into the pocket of his jeans. He let out his own sigh of relief, grateful that his sister was safe, that she was being cautious, and that she was staying the hell away from the Salvatores. Now if only he could help keep her safe, but not just Elena, Anna too.

But how? He didn't have enough information on anything to help.

And even if they told him something, how could he trust it? Everyone seemed to have their own agenda, and it left him clueless on who was actually being genuine when offering their help. How could he possibly trust that Kol had Anna's best interests?

Then Jeremy had a flash of brilliance. There was someone who would want to keep Anna safe no matter what. There was someone that loved Anna more than anyone….

Jeremy closed his eyes, and prayed to whatever was out there to hope that she was thinking of him. He took a deep breath and concentrated.

When he opened his eyes, he couldn't hide his smile.

But she couldn't seem to hide her frustration. "It took you long enough to call on me, Gilbert." Pearl said in a lofty tone.

XXX

Caroline made sure to arrive just a little later than Klaus to the table outside. He had wine glasses poured, the table set with little pieces of bread and some kind of dip. He pulled out a chair for her and she sat down, then he crossed the table and sat across from her, smiling smugly.

"For someone who doesn't have to eat food, you sure do love your meal-time chats."

"It's true that food tasted better as a human," he observed almost regretfully, "but there is still taste, it just is not accented by hunger or cravings any longer." She had never thought of it that way, she realized. Food did taste better as a human, that much she had known on her own, but she had never questioned why flavor seemed so tame to her now. It was that she no longer craved it. "Besides, food gives you something to occupy yourself with to make things less awkward. Now please, you can ask your first question."

His abrupt changing of subject made their meeting suddenly less casual. She was caught off guard, and forgot her game plan for the evening. She was only unnerved for a moment, but it was enough to allow him a feeling of success, no doubt. "You talked about what things tasted like as a human, and I think that is as good a place to start as any. What was life like for you…before you were given immortality."

He was nonplussed at her beginning, and she was frustrated by it. "You know the basics. I was the result of an affair my mother had, my father resented me, then later he blamed me for Henrik's death. I was close with my mother, my sister and my brother, Elijah- but not my Mikael, Finn or Kol." Even the way he referred to them was a testimony to how he felt about them, Caroline realized sadly, it was so tangled up in who he was that it even colored his very vocabulary. "But as close as I was to Elijah, I was jealous too. He was favored by both our mother and our father. Then later he was favored by Tatia, the originator of the doppelgänger line. Our relationship was somewhat strained after that, but only for a short while. Soon we were brothers again." She listened, but as she did swirled a piece of bread in the melted cheese, and nodded him to go on before she nibbled at the food. "But he had not known then that I had killed our mother. The only one who knew was Ana- a Bennett witch, and name-mother of the first made vampire."

"How do you know she was the a Bennett? And who was the first made vampire?" Caroline asked quickly after she had swallowed the first bite of her food.

He pulled a piece of bred between his fingers and examined it, "I kept track. She was powerful and I knew I would one day need that power again. She was so powerful that she was able to preserve my mother in the coffin for me. As for the first made vampire, that would be Kol's little slave. And that's actually a good lead into why exactly Kol despises me."

The dip, Caroline found, was absolutely delicious, but with some restraint, she kept herself from asking what kind it was. She was trying not to look too bored, because she had heard most of this already, but she let him continue because she felt like he needed to say all of these things. She nodded for him to continue. "She was a slave-girl that Kol fell for, or maybe trusted implicitly, or something of that variety; she had a knack for keeping my little brother from going out and ruining good meat by torturing the animals he intended on killing."

Caroline shuddered, but she noticed that Klaus really thought nothing of the actual torturing, only the waste of resources. Her knee jerk reaction was to wail on him, to try and get it through to him that torture was not necessary, but she calmed herself and settled casually on, "torture, hm? Excessive."

Klaus shrugged, "torture isn't just a part of your history, Caroline. It goes on now, and not far away either."

"So because it's popular, it's suddenly right?" She asked right back with a roll of her eyes, "please. I'm not even old enough to drink and I've learned better than that."

"Being very, very powerful comes with a few drawbacks, Caroline." He told her, sounding especially frustrated. "One of which is people constantly trying to kill you so that they can be considered the strongest. If someone betrays you, you answer it with agony and cold, damp graves. So yes, I can see how torture might get a point across that might have otherwise fallen on deaf ears."

"Maybe there was another way-"

"Like showering people with kindness so that they love you too much to kill you? I'm sorry, love- but that hardly works- is it working for Elena, or is she still constantly in danger?"

She didn't like his point, but still had a counter. "But she has people who love her and protect her because of that love. She's not dead yet."

"She's not _dead _because she has use to me." Klaus said through his teeth, "she lives because it suits me." He stared pointedly at her, then tilted his head to the side, "Pretend you're me. You already have a natural enemy that is more than happy to murder your whole kind. Your own father is trying to kill you and all of your siblings, and your mother is the one who damned you all to be demons in the first place. You tell me, Caroline, in a world like that, how nice could you afford to be?"

"Finn-"

"Finn's dead, before that he was in a pine box with a dagger in his heart."

"Stefan."

"Without Damon? Dead." Klaus said evenly, " Ah, how Machiavellian of us, is it better to be loved than feared?" Klaus grinned, "I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but DaVinci once told me about him. I believe Kol spent some time with Machiavelli, if I recall. Oh yes," he tilted his head sideways, "I remember chasing them out of the Vatican city- I never did find out why they were in Rome..." He looked up sharply, "but philosophy isn't our point, so I digress. Where were we?"

"Kol torturing animals."

"Ah, yes." Klaus looked pensive, "he was ruining meat, and he was mad to do it, even Rebekah and Elijah agreed. One of Rebekah's close friends went missing as well, she had never been kind to him, and so we always suspected, always feared that Kol had murdered him. Still, he was family, and one knew that family was protected. Family was most important. I suppose that is why I hated her from the onset."

"Who?"

"His slave-girl." Klaus reminded her with bitterness, "she was named after our witch, Ayanna. We called her Ana upon first meeting her. He was obsessed from the beginning, convincing our mother to let him keep her as his own, never going anywhere without her. I despised that he could love her so, love her as though she was his family instead of us." He looked long and hard at the plate in front of him, as if there was some memory there that disturbed him. Was it all an act, she wondered, this divulging of information, the troubled, almost guilty expressions? Was he trying to trick her?

Caroline didn't want to think so, and disliked that fact intensely. Klaus was all that was evil, all that was dangerous, he had destroyed so much that she didn't understand how she could feel anything but contempt for him.

"Family first, we had learned that early on. It was the only possible method of survival. We could not do it alone, we needed each other. Family first- only Kol did not see it that way. He always preferred that girl to us."

Caroline didn't bother to bring up the fact that he had daggered all of his own blood relatives, but she raised a brow at him suggestively.

"That was later." He replied to her unasked question, "after Elijah and Kol had both betrayed me. They proved their unworthiness as family, Caroline."

"Because they didn't cater to your every violent whim?"

"No. Betrayal, Caroline, that was what earned my wrath, Elijah sought marriage from a slave, _inn mátki munr."_

_"What?" She asked, not understanding his last sentence. _

_His lips twitched slightly, "it means the mighty passion." A shrug followed, "we wanted the same girl, the difference was that I was not to betray my family by marrying beneath my class. I would have kept Tatia as a lover, but married into another tribe to strengthen our family. That was, after all, what marriage was for. Elijah, however, wished to betray his kin and marry her when there was no benefit for it."_

"And how did Kol betray you?"

"He chose his slave over me."

Caroline wrinkled her nose, "and those are offenses punishable by death?"

"Did I kill them?" He returned evenly, "no. I did not. It was Elijah whose intentions were murderous, not my own."

"No," she exalted, "you simply put them in pine boxes to sleep for as long as you see fit."

They stared at each other, mirrors of defiance.

His expression didn't change, "the slave was clouding his judgment. He no longer cared for the good of the family, and only cared for her. I rid him of the problem, and he took offense." Klaus suddenly looked like a smug feline, bored with its prey. He leaned back in the chair and met her gaze. "He tortured me for my offense, and gave me to witches as a pet. Kol severed our familial bond, and I still spared his life."

She sucked in a deep, calming breath and leveled him with her most potent glare. "You killed her because he loved her more than you. Do you even realize how absurd that is?"

"That's not-"

"What you said?" She cut him off, and he looked surprised by it. "No. It's what you meant though." Caroline stood, she looked down at him with her head high and her back straight, "you think I don't understand you. In your mind you are this powerful, mysterious, impenetrable creature with no equal. At the end of the day though, you're just a little boy who never felt loved enough, and now you're taking it out on everyone. Well get over your daddy issues and grow up, _Niklaus."_

He was in front of her in a second, and it took all of her willpower and strength not to step back in fear. His nose was centimeters from hers, head dipped so that he was staring directly into her eyes. She stared back- and hoped he didn't see the fear there. "I could rip you apart."

"Then do it. End this."

"Give you the easy way out?" He smirked, "is being dead really better than wanting me?"

"I don't want you."

"But you do." He responded, his eyes wandering from her eyes to his mouth, "when you're unguarded, when you think no one is looking, I see your eyes drift to me, I see the longing, the lust." His hand hovered over her cheek, not even slightly touching, but close enough to make its presence felt. She tried not to close her eyes, tried not to imagine the touch of his skin on hers; but her body was betraying her, aching for him to close the space between them completely. _This is a plan_, she tried to remind herseld, tried to calm her body, _this isn't real. I'm not really feeling this way. I'm just playing a game, I'm trying to win him over to keep people safe. _

Her silent reminder did nothing to calm her nerves.

"Even now your skin is singing, all because I'm close to you."

She swallowed, trying to deny the words to herself, but said nothing out loud.

"And what does that say about you, Caroline? That you would want a monster like me? You've spent so much time with your _analysis, _let us put a mirror up, shall we?"

His hand, light as a feather, touched her cheek. She couldn't help it, she leaned into it and closed her eyes. She told herself she was playing the game, that he needed to think she wanted him. This was just her, _acting _like she was giving in. A tiny voice inside her cried that she was a liar. She ignored it.

"And my attentions are a breath of fresh air, are they not? You blossom beneath them like flowers in springtime. I've watched it occur, watched your desire for my attention- because I, unlike the fools in this town, see your fire. More importantly, I understand it in a way that no one else could." He leaned down against her ear, "in a way no one else lets themselves." He breathed.

It was heady feeling, being wanted by such a… man, to be his object of desire. Someone so powerful, so strong, someone who had seen so much- and he wanted her. Truly wanted her…more than Elena.

She almost cringed at how petty her last thought was, but she could deny it no more than could deny the little bolts of electricity that were going off where his skin was touching hers.

If she just gave in….just this once…it wouldn't mean anything…

She was just playing a part…

"Look at me." She snapped open her eyes, meeting his blue ones- shadows danced in them and made them almost hypnotizing. "Tell me you don't want me."

Words escaped her, even if she had planned to say it, to continue to play the game of hard-to-get, she found that she couldn't- was that fear on her face? She wondered. Could he smell it?

But the question that was first and foremost in her mind was; if he kissed her, could she stop it?

XXX

Anna wasn't sure how, but she knew he would be there.

Kol Mikaelson.

The name gave her no memory, no hint of who he was to her. Yet she knew. She followed this sense inside her, this intuition that told her whether she was going in the right direction. It landed her in front of a bar just outside of town. It was loud, she could hear the music from across the parking lot, where the woods began.

She waited outside, and surely enough he came outside, a pretty young thing walking next him in blue jeans and a wife-beater to show off his nicely sculpted arms. He had shaggy hair, and for a moment she almost thought he was walking with Jeremy. However, the guy walked differently, and so by time she had seen his face she had already been sure it wasn't him. She listened closely to what they were saying,

"How'd you know? I mean, places like this…you can't be open about stuff."

She watched as he quickly grabbed the boy, whipping him around to the side of the building and pushing him against the brick. She heard the other guy give a small laugh, "is this shadowy enough for you?" Kol asked, "dark enough to keep out prying eyes?"

"You're strong." It wasn't a complaint.

There was a long pause, "you have no idea…"

"Kol. Stop."

The words left her mouth before she was even conscious of them and she found herself directly behind him, with her hand on his shoulder. He turned, a smile appearing on his lips as he took in her face. "Hey, listen, nothing was happening here." The guy said falteringly, he looked a little fearful. It didn't take much imagination to figure out why.

To set his mind at ease, she said, "it's nice that you're covering for him. He's aggressive."

He tilted his head to the side, "he wasn't hurting me or anything either."

"It's true, I wasn't." Kol sounded smug.

She nodded, "okay."

"Uh," The stranger ran a hand through his hair and started to inch away from them, "I'm just going to let you two deal with your drama then."

"You do that, Cowboy." She said through her teeth, trying to make her irritation very apparent as her eyes never left Kol's. She tried to deny the connection between them, but its pull was about as easy to ignore as a stake through her damn heart. The stranger walked away, and Kol leaned against the wall mocking a dramatic gesture, then smiling. "You cannot just go around killing people."

"Maybe that one wasn't for killing, _Ana-Bél_."

"You're into guys?"

"Sometimes," he flashed a daring smile at her, "sometimes not. Eternity is an awfully long time, and life could get awfully boring, you know?"

If he was trying to shock her, he failed. She had spent some of her time wondering about eternity and what that really meant. It was the one thing about herself, and her past self, that she knew she could hold on to. Even if everybody was lying to her, even if they were manipulating her for their own purposes, the fact that she was immortal was true. So when she was troubled, which was all she seemed to be after turning her emotions on, she thought about what she was going to do for the rest of time. Sex had definitely been a factor. "Oh."

His smile never left his face, nor did he even attempt to break eye contact with her. "How did you find me, love?"

She looked defiantly back at him, but answered honestly. "I can feel your presence- since that time in the woods when I fought you…it's always there."

"We're bound by blood and magic."

It was true.

She didn't hear it, or see it, because there was nothing there about him. His face conjured no memory. But her heart and her blood screamed that she knew him, that he was special, and that she was to protect him at all costs. "I'm evil, aren't I?" She asked him softly, barely able to get the words out, "I'm like you. I just kill on a whim, 2, maybe 3 at a time." She found herself nodding, but her heart lurched into her stomach. "I'm right, aren't I? We're partners or something."

"Or something."

She didn't want to ask, but knew she had to, "or lovers?"

"Does it feel like we're lovers? In your blood? In your heart?"

She closed her eyes, and tightened her fists slightly, trying to muster some kind of answer for him. Did she feel like he was a lover? It was a question she had asked of both Kol and Jeremy. With Jeremy, she was absolutely certain that she wanted him. Whether it was love, she didn't know, but her skin sang when he touched it, and she felt alive. As she looked at Kol, she knew that she loved him- but it was not out of any kind of physical desire. "I'm just your slave then?"

"You were never my slave." He said vehemently, "if anything, I'm yours."

"That was not the description that your brothers gave."

"Do they know you're alive yet?"

She shook her head, "Jeremy told me."

Kol just smiled.

"You think he's joining you, but he isn't. He might even think he's joining you, actually, or at least considering it. But he's going to side with Elena, I'm certain of it."

Kol smile didn't fade, he slicked his hand through his hair and, for the first time, broke eye contact. "You underestimate the spell you have on that boy. It's a powerful thing to have someone you love come back from the dead. Because you know what life is like to lose them…and you never want to go back there again."

"I don't know what it's like to lose anyone." She responded, "So it would make sense that I wouldn't have that point of reference."

For a moment they just stared at each other. His smile was gone and he was looking at her with tears in his eyes like she was some kind of savior. The air was still filled with the raucous music inside, its tiny vibrations moving through her body. She imagined it was echoing inside of Kol, who was up against the wall, and she swore that she could almost feel how he was feeling it. "Why wouldn't Jeremy side with me? With us?"

"He's good." She told him plainly, "he doesn't believe in senseless killing. Besides, he has one family member left, he'll do whatever he can to protect her."

"Like Damon and Stefan Salvatore haven't done their share of killing," he waved the words away, with his free hand, "that's beside the point, it's just a small amount of time before Elena sides with us anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He hesitated for a fracture of a second, but it was enough to tip her off that she wasn't getting the full story; "it means that we're the right side to be on, love. Why they would side with Nik in the first place is utterly baffling, but alas, Elijah always was a little thick when it came to his precious brother."

"You did something to her." Anna squinted her eyes at him, "something to make sure she'd be on your side."

"Our side."

"Right." She frowned, "what did you do?"

He shrugged, "I helped her, really. She might not see that now, but one day she will say, 'that Kol, he's my guardian angel!'"

Anna couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, I'm sure."

"You'll see." He replied, sure of himself, "or maybe you'll remember before it happens and this whole conversation will just be another chapter in our insane, eternal lives."

She searched his face for a memory, for anything to stir. It did not.

"Either way, you should just come back to Beks and me now, because it will save a lot of time, and we don't have much of that. Niklaus will kill both of us. He'll spare Beks, because he knows eventually she'll forgive him." His lips twisted wryly and he shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked towards her. "Maybe together we can survive, maybe even keep Jeremy and Elena alive too."

"You'd protect them?"

"For you? I'd do anything" He promised, putting a hand out for her to take.

She stared at it, ears roaring with thunder as she slipped her fingers through his.

It was right.

XXX

Elena walked down the steps The Salvatore mansion with a flask for Alaric. Damon and Stefan brought him his meals, took him out for bathroom breaks, and otherwise cared for him because together they could manage him even in his _other_ state.

But Elena could talk to him outside the door, and that is what she intended to do.

What she wanted to talk to him about, she couldn't. Elena longed to discuss her situation. She needed someone to hear that she didn't even feel like herself anymore, the love that she had for Stefan kept lessening, and yet she had no legitimate cause for it. He was still beautiful, both inside and out; that hadn't changed, so why had her feelings? At first she thought it might be Damon, and her growing attraction to him. It was not, though. Her feelings for the older Salvatore didn't increase at all..

_Is it because of her memories? _

It had to be.

Because she started to feel this humming between she and Elijah, and there could simply be no other explanation for it. It terrified her, not to be able to trust her own feelings, and she longed to talk about that with Ric, but knew that she could not. Even if he were in his right mind, there was no telling what the hijacker inside him could hear or not hear. Did he know all that Ric knew?

She hoped that the man she was going to talk to was Ric, who in the wake of Jenna's death, became family to her; and not to the thing that inhabited him. But when she came to the door, she found herself disappointed. For the first time she could tell who was staring back at her, the parasite didn't even try and hide himself; a smug, cruel smirk lined his mouth, and a mockingly raised eyebrow marked his sinister nature. He was seated across the cell in the corner on the floor with one knee raised, the other leg flat out. He was wearing his own clothing, and it was clean, so he had been out recently. Had he been Alaric when they took him out of this cage? Or was he this…thing that had Ric's face? Was he biding time, figuring out an escape?

A chill went up her spine, and he hadn't even spoken to her yet.

As if on cue, he said, "Elena, how kind of you to join me."

She stared back at him through the bars, but not close enough for him to really reach her. "I'm not here to see you." She answered sourly, "I don't even know what to call you."

"Ric, of course."

"You're not Ric."

"I'm the sanest part of him."

"Hardly." Elena scoffed angrily, "you're the thing trying to poison him against people who love him."

"Maybe he needs poisoned, did you ever think of that?" He returned, "but you wouldn't, because you're the worst of them." He sneered, "You're a sympathizer- someone who sold out your own kind to save your own skin. Nevermind that one of them killed your own brother." He hissed through the bars, eyes gleaming. "First you trade Matt in for Stefan, and now Stefan and Damon for an even more powerful vampire. That can't be a coincidence."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked shakily, "that's not what happened or what is happening now."

"You don't have a thing for Elijah?"

She began to shake her head, how could he have even known that something had happenedbetween Elijah and herself? "No. I don't. I just want to be by myself for a while. I'm confused-"

"You're plotting." He corrected viciously, "just like Katherine did. You're just like Katherine- if you were a vampire, you might even be worse."

"NO!" She yelled it at him, having heard enough, "I am not trying to protect just me, I'm trying to protect everyone- even you."

"Oh?" Not Alaric asked, folding his arms over his chest and tilting his head to the side, "so when they killed all those other people, you tried to stop them?"

She had tried to stop Stefan by turning him back into himself, and she was always asking Damon to stop killing, but what had she really done to stop it? It was not the first time that this question ate at her, and hearing it come from Ric's lips felt like salt on an open wound. "I want to save other people. I don't want anyone else hurt." But her voice was weak, and they both knew that he had hit his target.

"Just as long as they're your friends, right? But strangers, they don't really matter. Just look at Stefan, right? Who cares that he's a _serial_ killer, right down to the trophies that he needs to get off on the kill. Who cares that Damon killed _your brother._ And he doesn't even try to change, Elena. Haven't you noticed that?" Ric went on relentlessly, each word like acid on her skin. "You're just as bad, enabling it all, batting those big eyes at them, being the big bad's blood bank to save your own skin-"

"Stop!" The word left her loudly and violently, she almost stepped forward, but then stopped herself. She'd be within arm's length if she moved any closer, and that wasn't safe. Still, anger reverberated through her like a struck drum, and she clenched her fists while protesting, "if I died who would take care of Jeremy? Who would keep him safe?"

He snorted, "like you're doing a bang up job."

"Either way, I'm all he has left, Alaric, and I won't leave him alone here. Do you understand me? I won't abandon him because you're trying to manipulate me. No, no I'm not perfect, I'm not ultimately good or pure. I'm selfish, and I put the people I love before strangers. But I've never claimed to be perfect, Alaric. But you? All that whining about how evil vampires are, and what have you been killing instead? Humans. So you tell me, out of the two of us, which one is really worse?"

He didn't get a chance to answer.

Instead his eyes glazed over, and Elena found herself turning around, despite very part of her screaming not to. She met familiar eyes, but they seemed colder to her now, possessing none of the warmth that had had tricked her before.

"Esther."


End file.
